Some infections occur immediately following surgery. In the chronic or late infections, it is usually necessary to remove the prosthesis in order to control or eradicate the infection. Following infection control, patients may be evaluated by the Center's team to determine the possibility of prosthesis reimplantation. Hematogenous Infections Hematogenous orthopaedic infections usually occur from a secondary source of infection such as urinary tract infections and soft tissue abscesses. The bacteria are carried through the blood stream and invade the bone or joint.
Hematogenous infections require antibiotic therapy and surgical management.
A bone graft may be necessary if a large amount of dead bone is removed. Joint infections also require incision and drainage. Highly Individualized Antibiotic Therapy Aggressive antibiotic therapy plays a key role in eradicating and controlling orthopaedic infections. This therapy is highly specialized because of the variability involved in bone infections and the large number of antibiotics from which to choose. Antibiotic therapy is best determined by culturing the infected area to ascertain if the infection is caused by a single organism or multiple organisms.