CHAPTER 6 Musculoskeletal System^273
- Explain to the patient:
- When and how to take medications.
- Importance of maintaining activity.
- Disease process.
Osteomyelitis
WHAT WENT WRONG?
Osteomyelitis is an infection of the bone. In an adult, it is most commonly due to
direct contamination of the site during trauma, such as an open fracture. Bacteria
that cause infections elsewhere in the body may also enter the bloodstream and
become deposited into the bone, starting a secondary infection site there. This is
more common in children and adolescents. Some of the patients have been treated
with antibiotics previously for the initial infection.
The causative organism is not always identified. More than three-quarters of the
identified organisms are Staphylococcus aureus. Acute infection is associated with
inflammatory changes in the bone and may lead to necrosis. Some patients will
develop chronic osteomyelitis.
PROGNOSIS
The sooner the infected area can be made infection-free, the better the prognosis
for the patient. There is a risk for developing chronic osteomyelitis. This risk is
greater in patients with a compromised immune system or poor blood supply to
the area (such as diabetics).
HALLMARK SIGNS AND SYMPTOMS
- Pain
- Fever, chills
- Malaise
INTERPRETING TEST RESULTS
- Elevated white blood count (WBC).
- X-ray osteolytic lesions (localized loss of bone density).
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