Septic arthritis treatment

One is said to have septic arthritis if there is an inflammation of the joints caused by a fungal or bacterial infection. Septic arthritis is also called the infectious arthritis because it was caused by a bacterial infection. Another name for it is pyogenic arthritis. Septic arthritis treatment should be done immediately because this can cause a permanent damage to the patient’s joints. If not treated as early as possible septic shock could occur. The germs or bacteria can enter the body of a person through an open wound, nose, throat, ears and even through the skin.

Septic arthritis treatment

Since septic arthritis is caused by bacteria then the first step or phase of septic arthritis treatment will be antibiotics. The type of antibiotic will depend on which type of bacteria has triggered septic arthritis. Before giving septic arthritis treatment, diagnosing the kind of bacteria that has caused the septic arthritis is important so that the right antibiotics could be administered to the patient.  A spinal tap test could also be done if the doctor suspects that the patient has Haemophilus Influenza infection. 

When treating septic arthritis, the antibiotic will be administered to the patient intravenously on the first few days before the doctor will switch it to oral medication. The treatment process may last up to three to six weeks depending on the type of bacteria that caused it. During this period of treatment process, aspiration procedure might also be done. Aspiration procedure is the process of draining out the infected fluids in the joint with the use of a needle that is inserted into the joint space. The fluids can also be drained out by a sterile solution. Arthroscopy can also be done if the symptom is still persistent. Arthroscopy is when an arthroscope that has a small camera and some medical instrument attached to it is inserted to the joints by just making tiny incisions on the skin. This procedure could remove damage tissues, chips of bone or cartilage that has already been damaged by arthritis and other foreign objects that has found its way to the joint.  

If children are diagnosed with septic arthritis, surgery should be done immediately since the pus in the joints would cause a rapid and severe damage to the children’s bone and cartilage. During its early stages, splints can be used to help protect the joints affected by providing support and letting the joint rest. For adults, surgical options are still the last resort. Surgical options like the knee and hip replacement are available options.  One has to remember that although a patient has already under gone implants, septic arthritis could still occur.

Doctors have stated that the outcome of the septic arthritis treatment may depend on some factors like the age of the patient when septic arthritis occurred because children and infants may have less success of having a good outcome from the treatment. If the patient has an infection of the bone and if the patient was not treated within seven days at the start of the disease, these circumstances might not have a high rate of success in the treatment process.