title: Salvage of the septic ankle with concomitant tibial osteomyelitis.
abstract: Five patients with concomitant distal tibia osteomyelitis and ankle sepsis with an open, draining wound were treated. All of the patients were men with an average age of 54.8 years. All of the bone infections were polymicrobial and had open draining wounds. A standardized protocol of radical soft tissue and bone debridement, soft tissue transfer, intravenous antibiotics, and delayed ankle fusion was employed. All five fusions were successful on first attempt, with an average time to fusion of 3.5 months. All patients were free of infection at an average follow-up of 27 months. We believe our aggressive treatment protocol can salvage these extremities and preclude amputation in properly selected cases.
authors.affiliation: USC Department of Orthopaedic Surgery, LAC + USC Medical Center, USA.
authors.forename: D B
authors.initials: DB
authors.lastname: Thordarson
authors.forename: M J
authors.initials: MJ
authors.lastname: Patzakis
authors.forename: P
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Holtom
authors.forename: R
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Sherman
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000842:Ankle; D000900:Anti-Bacterial Agents; D000890:Anti-Infective Agents / Q000627:therapeutic use; D001174:Arthrodesis; D001424:Bacterial Infections / Q000150:complications* / Q000628:therapy*; D003131:Combined Modality Therapy; D003646:Debridement; D005490:Focal Infection / Q000150:complications* / Q000382:microbiology / Q000628:therapy*; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D008271:Mycetoma / Q000150:complications / Q000188:drug therapy; D009165:Mycobacterium Infections, Nontuberculous / Q000150:complications / Q000628:therapy; D016926:Mycobacterium chelonae / Q000302:isolation & purification; D009984:Orthopedic Fixation Devices; D010019:Osteomyelitis / Q000150:complications* / Q000382:microbiology / Q000628:therapy*; D011541:Pseudallescheria / Q000302:isolation & purification; D016879:Salvage Therapy; D013524:Surgical Flaps; D007507:Therapeutic Irrigation; D013977:Tibia
chemical_list: D000900:Anti-Bacterial Agents; D000890:Anti-Infective Agents