ARTHRITIS-NON GONOCOCCAL

SUMMARY

1. The joint is hot and tender, and the patient may be febrile. Get blood C/S and aspirate your joint fluid before administering abx.

2. Fluid is inflammatory, and Gram stain of the joint fluid usually shows WBCs and organisms.

3. Treatment for septic arthritis includes systemic antibiotics targeted to the Gram stain result.

4. Patients who have prosthetic joints but need to undergo procedures (e.g. dental, urologic) are at risk for developing transient bacteremia and seeding of their joint, but there is not evidence for routine antibiotics.

Reference(s)

Wilkinson, I. (2017). Oxford handbook of clinical medicine. Oxford: Oxford University Press.
Hannaman, R. A., Bullock, L., Hatchell, C. A., & Yoffe, M. (2016). Internal medicine review core curriculum, 2017-2018. CO Springs, CO: MedStudy.
Therapeutic Guidelines. Melbourne: Therapeutic Guidelines Limited. https://www.tg.org.au [Accessed 2021].