Osteomyelitis in Adults

Osteomyelitis is a bone infection that occurs because of direct contamination from open fractures or surgery, spread of tissue infection (such as an infected pressure sore near the bone), or spread of blood borne infection from another part of the body.

Significance

• Osteomyelitis can result in a chronic severe infection, increasingly with Staphylococcus aureus or other bacterial strains that are resistant to antibiotics.

Effects

• Pockets of pus form within your bone, destroying the bone marrow and damaging the bone, which becomes brittle and can easily fracture. Fistulas (channels) may form, carrying pus to the surface and infecting surrounding tissue.

Symptoms

• You may have sudden onset of fever and chills. As infection spreads through the bone, you may have increasing and sometimes pulsating pain (worsening on movement), swelling and drainage.

Treatment

• You will need intravenous antibiotics, usually for 3 to 6 weeks, followed by oral antibiotics for about 3 months. If the infection persists, you may need to have surgical debridement (cleaning) of the infected bone.

Prevention

• You should delay elective orthopedic surgery if you any current or recent infection (urine infection, sore throat), and you should receive prophylactic antibiotics before and immediately after orthopedic surgery.