An aggressive treatment approach for adult osteomyelitis.

Osteomyelitis in the adult patient has been associated with failure of eradication, late recurrence, nonunion, and prolonged hospitalization. A staged aggressive approach has been used for the past seven years to treat 53 patients with adult osteomyelitis. This approach includes: evaluation of bone necrosis and identification of the etiologic organisms by deep bone culture; radical surgical debridement of devascularized tissue; intensive systemic antibiotics; and early bone and soft tissue reconstruction. All patients have been followed at least 1 year (mean, 33 months). Lower extremity bones predominated in the series (24 tibias, 13 femurs); and 19 patients had bony instability. Thirty-seven patients had initial successful eradication of their infections with 26 of these returning to full activity status. The remaining 16 patients developed recurrent infection; however, 11 patients totally responded to further aggressive treatment. Of the five failures in the total series, three patients required amputation and two patients have persistent infection. Fifteen of the 19 patients with bony instability healed with initial treatment, and the remaining four patients healed with subsequent treatment. Six patients had primary muscle flap soft tissue reconstruction, and an additional two patients had reconstruction as a secondary procedure. In all these patients with tibial instability, bony union was accelerated compared to those patients with tibial instability not receiving muscle flaps (4 months vs 12 months). The muscle coverage provided by either pedicled flaps or transferred by microvascular anastomoses.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)