What Is Osteomyelitis

Osteomyelitis is an infection of bone that can arise from open fractures surgery spread from nearby soft tissue infection or bacteria in the bloodstream When acute infection is not fully eradicated chronic osteomyelitis can develop characterised by persistent drainage dead bone sinus tracts and recurrent pain or swelling Chronic bone infection is difficult to treat and often requires combined surgical and medical therapy in a specialised centre

Principles of Surgical Debridement

The cornerstone of osteomyelitis surgery is thorough debridement removing all infected and dead bone and soft tissue while preserving as much stable healthy structure as possible This may involve opening previous scars removing hardware if loose or infected excising sinus tracts and resecting sequestra which are islands of dead bone that harbour bacteria Modern approaches emphasise adequate debridement guided by imaging and microbiology rather than excessively radical resection in every case balancing infection control against limb preservation and function

Restoring Stability and Blood Flow

After debridement the surgeon addresses any resulting bone defects and instability Options include internal fixation with plates or rods external fixation such as circular frames and bone grafting or bone transport using Ilizarov methods for large defects Soft tissue coverage is critical to protect underlying bone and implants and may require local or free flaps in collaboration with plastic surgery In some cases antibiotic impregnated cement spacers or beads are placed temporarily to deliver high local concentrations of drugs while maintaining space for later reconstruction

Antibiotic Therapy and Follow Up

Surgery is combined with intravenous antibiotics tailored to culture results often followed by a prolonged course of oral antibiotics Infectious disease specialists help select agents and duration based on organism patient factors and response Long term follow up is needed to monitor wound healing bone union inflammatory markers and recurrence with attention to optimising nutrition blood sugar control and vascular supply

Why Choose Livasa Hospitals for Bone Infection Management

Livasa Hospitals manage osteomyelitis through multi disciplinary teams involving orthopaedic surgeons plastic surgeons infectious disease specialists and rehabilitation staff Access to imaging microbiology laboratories operating theatres with reconstruction capability and long term follow up clinics allows complex bone infections to be treated in a structured manner for patients from across Punjab

Livasa Hospitals Punjab Network Contact

Livasa Healthcare Group Network of Multi speciality Hospitals in Punjab
Corporate Office Phase 8 Industrial Area Sector 73 Punjab 160071 India