Background: Acute osteomyelitis and septic arthritis represent two inflammatory diseases that affect bone and joint and synovial joints and are both caused by bacterial infection. Our study aimed to describe the pattern of these infections in a tertiary care hospital of Kashmir.
Patients and methods: It was a prospective study carried out over a period of one year. All the neonates who were diagnosed to have any musculoskeletal infection viz a viz osteomyelitis and/or septic arthritis and /or soft tissue abscess were included in our study. For each diagnosed patient detailed clinical history and examination were done followed by imaging. Blood and tissue culture was done in all cases.
Results:8[53.3%] were males and 7 [46.6%] were females.11[73.3%] were born term whereas 4 [26.6%] were born before 37 weeks of gestation. The median age at presentation was 17 days [IQR: 13 -26 days].Symptoms restricted to the musculoskeletal system that is localized swelling and mobility limitation were seen in 12 [80%] and 8[53.3%] neonates respectively. C - reactive protein was elevated with median C reactive protein 52mg/dl. Gram-positive cocci represented 72.1% of all isolate, Escherichia coli from 2 [18.1%] isolates and 1 [9.09%] revealed Klebsiella. All patients received antibiotic treatment, and 10[66.6%] also needed open surgical drainage.
Conclusion: Bone and joint infections can lead to severe complications in the newborn period. Once a diagnosis is suspected, findings from imaging studies, accompanied by blood and tissue cultures are the most useful diagnostic tests. To avoid treatment delays, MRSA should be kept in mind even in cases involving otherwise healthy, full-term newborns.
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2022: 6.012
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