Osteomyelitis Treatment

OsteoMyelitis Treatment
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Osteomyelitis is the inflammation of the bones. The infections of bones spreading from neighboring tissues or traveling in the bloodstream. Alternatively, if an injury directly exposes the bone to microorganisms, osteomyelitis can originate in the bone itself.

In adults, osteomyelitis most frequently affects the vertebrae, whereas in children, the condition is more common in the long bones of the arms and legs. Diabetics who have foot Ulcers are susceptible to osteomyelitis in the feet. Common symptoms of osteomyelitis include pain, swelling, warmth and redness in the area of infection, also fevers and chills. Although osteomyelitis was previously considered to be incurable, nowadays there are a variety of treatment methods available.

Osteomyelitis Treatment
The primary aims of osteomyelitis treatment are to stop the infection and to prevent the development of chronic infection, which can result in permanent deformity, possible fractures and other chronic issues. Therefore, it is essential to treat the osteomyelitis as quickly as possible. Osteomyelitis patients are usually hospitalized and treated with a combination of antibiotics and surgery.

1. Medications
The type of infection causing the osteomyelitis will usually be diagnosed using a bone biopsy. Once the cause of the infection is identified, your doctor will select the correct osteomyelitis antibiotics, which are given to you through intravenous injection via an arm vein for 4-6 weeks or longer. You usually receive these injections as an outpatient, so you can return home the same day. During the treatment, you may experience side-effects, such as nausea, Diarrhea and vomiting.

An additional course of oral antibiotics could be required once your symptoms improve. Effective oral antibiotics for the treatment of osteomyelitis include rifampin, clindamycin, trimethoprim-Sulfamethoxazole, and fluoroquinolones. These are often administered in combination as dual therapy. In certain cases, the bacteria causing the osteomyelitis have developed resistance to some of the antibiotics; in this situation, less frequently used antibiotics may be needed.

2. Surgery
One or more of the following surgical operations may be performed to treat the osteomyelitis, depending on the extent of the infection:

• ŸDrainage. Any excess pus or fluid that has built up because of the infection is drained through opening up the area surrounding the infected bone.


• ŸRemove affected bone and tissue. To make sure that all infected areas are taken out, the surgeon will cut away as much of the affected bone as possible along with a small margin of healthy bone. Sometimes surrounding tissue that may be infected is also removed. This procedure is known as debridement.


• ŸRestore blood flow. Any empty space left from the debridement may be replaced by another bone or other type of tissue, for example muscle or skin, from a different part of the body. The graft allows your body to repair the missing bone tissue and to develop new blood vessels. Short-term "fillers" may be grafted into the area before bone or tissue graft can take place.


• Remove foreign objects. Any foreign objects, such as plates or screws from prior operations, may need to be taken out.


• ŸSplinting or cast immobilization. Immobilizing the affected bone and surrounding joints may be required to prevent any further injury, and to help the area heal correctly and as soon as possible. Splinting and cast immobilization are often performed in children with osteomyelitis, but to prevent Atrophy and rigidity, motion of joints after initial control is required.


• Amputation. In serious and rare cases of osteomyelitis resistant to treatment, amputation of the affected limb may be necessary in order to stop the infection spreading any further.

3. Hyperbaric Oxygen Therapy
If the osteomyelitis does not respond to conventional treatment, hyperbaric oxygen therapy, a non-surgical osteomyelitis treatment, may be considered. During this procedure, the patient is placed in a specially designed chamber, similar to decompression chambers employed by divers. Oxygen, at a markedly higher pressure than usually found in the atmosphere, is then fed into the chamber. This procedure is thought to promote healing and halt the spread of infection, although the evidence supporting hyperbaric oxygen therapy for osteomyelitis treatment is limited. It seems to be most effective in treating osteomyelitis originating from diabetic foot ulcers, although this is currently only recommended for use in clinical trials.

Prognosis of Osteomyelitis
The prognosis for patients with osteomyelitis depends greatly on the patient’s general health and their risk factors. If the patient receives prompt diagnosis and treatment, a complete recovery can be achieved, although they will have to be closely monitored over the next few months in case a relapse occurs. The best results are seen in patients who receive treatment within 3-5 days after the initial infection.

Prevention of Osteomyelitis
The best way to prevent osteomyelitis is to keep all injury sites clean. Wash all cuts, particularly deep cuts, thoroughly, rinsing any open wounds under running water for at least 5 minutes before wrapping the injury in sterile bandages.

If you do develop osteomyelitis, get treatment as soon as possible. The earlier osteomyelitis is addressed, the better the chance of recovery, and the lower the likelihood of it developing into a chronic condition.

In cases of chronic osteomyelitis, consult your doctor about how to best manage the condition, ensuring that he or she has your complete medical history. For diabetics, it is important to look after your feet, and to contact a medical professional if you see any sign of infection.

Osteomyelitis Treatment

OsteoMyelitis Treatment


Osteomyelitis.jpg" alt="" width="728" height="528">
Osteomyelitis is the inflammation of the bones. The infections of bones spreading from neighboring tissues or traveling in the bloodstream. Alternatively, if an injury directly exposes the bone to microorganisms, osteomyelitis can originate in the bone itself.

In adults, osteomyelitis most frequently affects the vertebrae, whereas in children, the condition is more common in the long bones of the arms and legs. Diabetics who have foot Ulcers are susceptible to osteomyelitis in the feet. Common symptoms of osteomyelitis include pain, swelling, warmth and redness in the area of infection, also fevers and chills. Although osteomyelitis was previously considered to be incurable, nowadays there are a variety of treatment methods available.

Osteomyelitis Treatment
The primary aims of osteomyelitis treatment are to stop the infection and to prevent the development of chronic infection, which can result in permanent deformity, possible fractures and other chronic issues. Therefore, it is essential to treat the osteomyelitis as quickly as possible. Osteomyelitis patients are usually hospitalized and treated with a combination of antibiotics and surgery.

1. Medications
The type of infection causing the osteomyelitis will usually be diagnosed using a bone biopsy. Once the cause of the infection is identified, your doctor will select the correct osteomyelitis antibiotics, which are given to you through intravenous injection via an arm vein for 4-6 weeks or longer. You usually receive these injections as an outpatient, so you can return home the same day. During the treatment, you may experience side-effects, such as nausea, Diarrhea and vomiting.

An additional course of oral antibiotics could be required once your symptoms improve. Effective oral antibiotics for the treatment of osteomyelitis include rifampin, clindamycin, trimethoprim-Sulfamethoxazole, and fluoroquinolones. These are often administered in combination as dual therapy. In certain cases, the bacteria causing the osteomyelitis have developed resistance to some of the antibiotics; in this situation, less frequently used antibiotics may be needed.

2. Surgery
One or more of the following surgical operations may be performed to treat the osteomyelitis, depending on the extent of the infection:

• ŸDrainage. Any excess pus or fluid that has built up because of the infection is drained through opening up the area surrounding the infected bone.


• ŸRemove affected bone and tissue. To make sure that all infected areas are taken out, the surgeon will cut away as much of the affected bone as possible along with a small margin of healthy bone. Sometimes surrounding tissue that may be infected is also removed. This procedure is known as debridement.


• ŸRestore blood flow. Any empty space left from the debridement may be replaced by another bone or other type of tissue, for example muscle or skin, from a different part of the body. The graft allows your body to repair the missing bone tissue and to develop new blood vessels. Short-term "fillers" may be grafted into the area before bone or tissue graft can take place.


• Remove foreign objects. Any foreign objects, such as plates or screws from prior operations, may need to be taken out.


• ŸSplinting or cast immobilization. Immobilizing the affected bone and surrounding joints may be required to prevent any further injury, and to help the area heal correctly and as soon as possible. Splinting and cast immobilization are often performed in children with osteomyelitis, but to prevent Atrophy and rigidity, motion of joints after initial control is required.


• Amputation. In serious and rare cases of osteomyelitis resistant to treatment, amputation of the affected limb may be necessary in order to stop the infection spreading any further.

3. Hyperbaric Oxygen Therapy
If the osteomyelitis does not respond to conventional treatment, hyperbaric oxygen therapy, a non-surgical osteomyelitis treatment, may be considered. During this procedure, the patient is placed in a specially designed chamber, similar to decompression chambers employed by divers. Oxygen, at a markedly higher pressure than usually found in the atmosphere, is then fed into the chamber. This procedure is thought to promote healing and halt the spread of infection, although the evidence supporting hyperbaric oxygen therapy for osteomyelitis treatment is limited. It seems to be most effective in treating osteomyelitis originating from diabetic foot ulcers, although this is currently only recommended for use in clinical trials.

Prognosis of Osteomyelitis
The prognosis for patients with osteomyelitis depends greatly on the patient’s general health and their risk factors. If the patient receives prompt diagnosis and treatment, a complete recovery can be achieved, although they will have to be closely monitored over the next few months in case a relapse occurs. The best results are seen in patients who receive treatment within 3-5 days after the initial infection.

Prevention of Osteomyelitis
The best way to prevent osteomyelitis is to keep all injury sites clean. Wash all cuts, particularly deep cuts, thoroughly, rinsing any open wounds under running water for at least 5 minutes before wrapping the injury in sterile bandages.

If you do develop osteomyelitis, get treatment as soon as possible. The earlier osteomyelitis is addressed, the better the chance of recovery, and the lower the likelihood of it developing into a chronic condition.

In cases of chronic osteomyelitis, consult your doctor about how to best manage the condition, ensuring that he or she has your complete medical history. For diabetics, it is important to look after your feet, and to contact a medical professional if you see any sign of infection.

Osteomyelitis

Osteomyelitis






Osteomyelitis is the condition in which the bones are infected. Bone infection from one part can spread to the other bone. Bone infection may also occur due to the exposure of open fracture. Bone can also get infected from tissue infection or by means of blood infection. In children, bones on the legs and upper arm are mostly infected by osteomyelitis and in adults’ spine or vertebral column gets infected. Diabetic people can develop bone infection from their feet due to ulcers on their feet. Osteomyelitis can be treated by medications and for some people surgery is done for removing the infected bone.

Symptoms :

The bone infection in any part of the body is reflected in the form of fever, chills, moderate to intense pain in the infected area, swelling and redness on the infected area and irritability is seen. In rare cases, osteomyelits may not show any symptoms thus becoming difficult to distinguish and treat it.

Causes :

Bone infection is caused by bacteria by name Staphylococcus aureus. This bacterium is present in the skin or even on the nose of individuals and when the conditions are favorable it starts infecting the bones.

Germs or bacteria will enter the bone through bloodstream. For instance when a person gets Pneumonia the germs will travel into the blood and reach a weak spot of the bone and starts infecting it. Very often osteomyelitis infection occurs in soft areas of the bone like growth plates which are present in extremities of the body.

The infection can also be caused through severe kind of wounds that send germs deep inside the body. There is chance for the germs to spread to the nearby bone from the wound. Sever types of open fracture can get contaminated is it is kept exposed out of the skin. It can get contaminated during joint replacement surgery or while repairing fractures.

Who are at risk?

Osteomyelitis is a rare disorder affecting one in every 10,000 people. If a person has got severe injury or has undergone orthopedic surgery, the germs can enter into the bones nearby. During surgery sometimes the path of the bone is kept open for the entry of the germs easily.

People with circulation disorders like blocked blood vessels, are prone to get osteomyelitis infection. For instance, diabetes (not managed properly), peripheral arterial disease, and Sickle cell disorder can cause this infection. Frequent use of intravenous injection or catheters can also spread infection to the bones. People who depend on urinary catheters for passing urine, who use dialysis machines and people who are on IV tubes for long time can get infection of osteomyelitis.

Finally when the body’s immunity gets tampered due to medical condition like chemotherapy, organ transplantation and prolonged usage of corticosteroids and Alcoholism can cause infection on the bones. In rare cases, complications occur due to osteomyelitis, causing bone death, septic arthritis or impaired growth of bones affecting the growth plates and even Skin Cancer when it infects the squamous cell.

Diagnoses :

The doctor may request for blood culture for determining the level of white blood cells. (Increased WBC can be due to infection), He may also order for CT scan, X-ray or MRI scan for getting precise images of the infected bones. He may also do a bone biopsy by collecting small sample of bone and sending it to the laboratory for detecting the presence of germ.

Treatment :

Antibiotics are given to manage infection. For severe condition of infection, the person has to be hospitalized and treated. After ascertaining the type of germ that has infected the bone, your doctor will start with antibiotics through Intravenous injection for 4-6 weeks. Strong antibiotics can keep the infection under control and often it is not necessary to do surgery. However, it can cause adverse effects like nausea or vomiting.

If the bone infection is very severe causing death of the bone, it has to be removed through surgery. The surgeon would open the area to drain the pus inside. Then by debridement he would gently remove the diseased bone fully. In this process the surrounding tissues will also be removed if it is infected. He would fill the empty space with another piece of bone or tissue for restoring the blood flow. In some cases, the surgeon will remove surgical screws and plates that are placed during surgery done earlier. As a last measure, he will amputate the limb or affected area to prevent infection from spreading.

Pictures of Osteomyelitis :

Images, Pics, Pictures and Photos of Osteomyelitis

Prevention :

If there is any cut or wound in the body, allow it to heal as quickly as possible. Keep it clean by washing it regularly and applying a bandage. In case you have chronic infection of any other kind, talk to your doctor for keeping the infection under control. For people with diabetes, it is necessary to monitor any changes in the feet since it can get infected easily.

Osteomyelitis – Treatment, Pictures, Symptoms, Causes, Diagnosis, Complications

Osteomyelitis – Treatment, Pictures, Symptoms, Causes, Diagnosis, Complications

What is Osteomyelitis?

This is a medical word used for a bone infection. Infections may reach the bone by migrating thru the blood system or distributed from tissues which are nearby. Osteomyelitis may also start in the bone if there has been an injury that leaves the bone open to germs.

With children, osteomyelitis normally disturbs the longer bones of the upper arm or legs, though adults are likely to have osteomyelitis in the bones that structure the spinal system or vertebrae. Individuals who are diabetic can have osteomyelitis in the feet particularly if they developed ulcers of the feet.

Osteomyelitis was once considered a condition that was not curable. But treatments today are very successful. Most individuals need surgery in order to remove areas of the bone which have died – following with strong antibiotics delivered IV, normally for 6 weeks.

Osteomyelitis Symptoms

Symptoms and signs of osteomyelitis consist of:

• Chills or fever


• Pain from infection


• Lethargy or irritability in young children


• Warmth, swelling as well as redness over the infected area

Often osteomyelitis has no symptoms and signs or the signs and symptoms are too hard to separate from other problems

An individual needs to see their physician if they are having bone pain along with fever. If there is a risk of infection due to any medical problem or surgery or recent injury, see your primary care physician immediately – especially when these symptoms or signs of an infection are noticed.

Osteomyelitis Causes

Many cases of osteomyelitis develop because of a bacteria known as staphylococcus and usually live on the skin or in the nose of individuals who are healthy. These germs can enter a bone in a number of ways, including:

Thru the blood stream
Bacteria from other areas of the body – for instance, Pneumonia or a Urinary Tract Infection – may travel thru the blood system to a spot in a bone that is weak. In children, osteomyelitis is more commonly found in softer areas, known as growth plates, at either end of the long bones of the legs and arms.

Nearby infection
Severe wounds from punctures can carry bacteria very deep inside the body. If such an injury gets infected, the bacteria can migrate into any nearby bone.

Contamination which is direct
This happens when an individual has a bone that is broken so severely that a part of it might be sticking thru the skin. Direct contamination can also occur because of surgeries to replace joints or repair bones that are broken.

Osteomyelitis Diagnosis

The physician will probably order a number of tests as well as procedures in order to make a diagnosis of osteomyelitis as well as conclude which bacteria caused the infection.

Blood tests
A blood test can expose any raised levels of white blood cells and numerous factors that can be an indication that the body is battling some type of infection. If osteomyelitis is caused by an infection in the blood, these tests can reveal what bacteria is the cause. There is no blood test that can tell the physician if an individual has osteomyelitis or not. But, blood tests can offer information so the physician can decide what more tests or procedures are needed.

Imaging tests

• X-rays – These may show if there is any damage to the bone. But, damage cannot always be noticeable until osteomyelitis has existed for numerous weeks. It may be essential for images which are more detailed to show recent osteomyelitis.


• Computerized tomography or CT scan – This associates X-ray images from diverse angles, generating a comprehensive cross-sectional view of a person’s internal structures.


• Magnetic resonance imaging or MRI – This uses radio waves as well as a strong magnetic arena to yield very comprehensive pictures of bones and the soft tissues adjacent to them.

Bone biopsy
This is the gold standard for osteomyelitis diagnosis since it can likewise disclose what type of bacteria has infected the bone. This allows the physicians to prescribe an antibiotic that works well for that kind of infection. An open biopsy needs anesthesia as well as surgery in order to enter the bone. There are some situations where the surgeon inserts a very long needle thru the skin into the bone in order to take a biopsy. This needle biopsy needs local anesthetics to numb the place where the needle is introduced.

Osteomyelitis Complications

Complications of osteomyelitis can consist of:

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Death of bone or osteonecrosis
Infection of the bone can hinder the circulation of the blood inside the bone, which leads to death of the bone. The bone will heal after surgery has removed small areas of bone which is dead. If a section of the bone is large and has died, the patient might need to have the limb amputated in order to stop the migrating of the infection.

Septic arthritis
Infections in bones can migrate to a adjacent joint.

Growth impairment
Children normally have osteomyelitis in the areas that are soft and referred to as the “growth plates” which are located at both ends of the long bones of the legs and arms. In these infected bones, growth that is normal can be disturbed.

Cancer of the skin
If osteomyelitis results in a sore that is open and draining pus, the skin surrounding it is at a high risk of creating squamous cell cancer.

Osteomyelitis Treatment

The gold standard for treatment of osteomyelitis includes antibiotics as well as surgery to remove any area of bone that is dead or infected.

Medications
A biopsy of the bone can tell what type of bacteria is the cause of the infection, so the physician may prescribe an antibiotic that works especially well for that type of bacteria. These antibiotics are normally administrated thru a vein in the arm for at the very least 6 weeks. The side effects include vomiting, Diarrhea and nausea.

Surgery
This depends on how severe the infection is. Osteomyelitis surgery can include 1 or more of the below procedures:

Drain area infected

The area is opened up around the infected bone and any fluid or pus that might have accumulated in a response to the infection is drained off.
Remove diseased tissue and bone

The procedure is known as debridement. The surgeon gets rid of as much bone that is diseased as possible, including a slight margin of bone that is healthy to make certain that all the areas infected have been detached. The surrounding tissue showing infection also can be removed.
Restore flow of blood to bone

The surgeon can fill any space emptied by debridement process with a bone piece or other tissues, such as muscle or skin, from other parts of the body. Often fillers which are temporary can be used in the space until the patient is healthy and able to endure a tissue or bone graft. This graft AIDS the body to repair any blood vessels damaged as well as form new bone.
Remove any objects that are foreign

Foreign objects for instances surgical screws or plates from any previous surgery can be removed
Limb amputation

This is a last resort. Surgeons can amputate the limb that is affected so as to halt the infection from further spreading.

Osteomyelitis Pictures