Factors Related to Surgical Treatment and Outcomes of Thai Patients With Septic Arthritis

Objective The aim of this study was to identify factors associated with the surgical treatment of Thai patients with septic arthritis. Methods This cohort study used a university hospital database in Thailand to identify 450 adult patients with confirmed septic arthritis. Data related to baseline characteristics, clinical and laboratory findings, treatment, and outcomes were collected. A multivariate analysis identified the factors related to surgical treatment. Results The patients had a mean age (±SD) of 53.6 (±17.8) years, and 51% were male. Surgical drainage was performed on 332 patients (74%). The factors identifed as relating to the need for surgical drainage included preexisting joint disease (odds ratio [OR], 2.6; 95% confidence interval [CI], 1.3–4.9), hip involvement (OR, 36.3; 95% CI, 4.1–320.5), abscess formation (OR, 5.6; 95% CI, 1.1–27.1), osteomyelitis (OR, 4; 95% CI, 1.1–14.9), and positive synovial fluid culture (OR, 3.8; 95% CI, 2–7.2). In contrast, patients who were treated with steroids (OR, 0.2; 95% CI, 0.1–0.4) or had septic shock (OR, 0.31; 95% CI, 0.13–0.83) were less likely to undergo surgery. This model correctly predicted 35% of cases. Patients treated with surgical drainage had a significant longer length of stay (median [interquartile range], 21 [11–34] days vs 14 [7–24] days; p
Source: JCR: Journal of Clinical Rheumatology - Category: Rheumatology Tags: Original Articles Source Type: research