Bone Infections In Children Research Articles

Real-World Use of Dalbavancin for Treatment of Soft Tissue and Bone Infection in Children: Safe, Effective and Hospital-Time Sparing.

Acute bacterial skin and skin structure infections (ABSSSI) and osteoarticular infections compound the burden of morbidity, mortality and prolonged hospitalizations among gram-positive infections. Dalbavancin, a second-generation, intravenous lipoglycopeptide, due to its prolonged half-life, can be a valuable alternative in their treatment when administered as inpatient treatment at the price of an extended hospital stay. Between October 2019 and September 2023, 31 children and adolescents were treated with dalbavancin because of bone and joint infections (n = 12 patients, 39%), ABSSSI (n = 13 patients, 42%), mainly for the limbs, facial cellulitis or complicated ABSSSI (n = 6 patients, 19%), at five Italian pediatric centers. Microbiological study provided gram-positive bacterial isolate in 16 cases, in 11 cases from a positive blood culture; 9 of them were MRSA. Twenty-five patients were initially treated with a different antibiotic therapy: beta-lactam-based in 18 patients (58%), glycopeptide-based in 15 patients (48%) and daptomycin in 6 (19%). The median time that elapsed between admission and start of dalbavancin was 18 days. A total of 61 doses of dalbavancin were administered to the 31 patients: 16 received a single dose while the remaining 15 patients received between two (n = 9) and nine doses. The frequency of administration was weekly in five cases or fortnightly in nine patients. Median length of stay in hospital was 16 days. Median time to discharge after the first dose of dalbavancin was 1 day. Treatment was very well-tolerated: of the 61 administered doses, only four doses, administered to four patients, were associated with an adverse event: drug extravasation during intravenous administration occurred in two patients, with no sequelae; however, in two patients the first administration was stopped soon after infusion start: in one (ID #11), due to headache and vomiting; in another (ID #12) due to a systemic reaction. In both patients, drug infusion was not repeated. None of the remaining 29 patients reported treatment failure (resistant or recurrent disease) or an adverse effect during a median follow-up time of two months. The use of dalbavancin was safe, feasible and also effective in shortening the hospital stay in children and adolescents.

Treatment of bone infections in children in low-income countries – A practical guideline based on clinical cases

In low-income countries (LIC), the management of bone infections is a huge challenge. A high number of patients are in the pediatric age group. Children and adolescents exhibit good bone healing potential offering treatment options that mainly rely on the biological response of the infected bone. The purpose of this article is to highlight treatment options for these patients in LIC, which is based on clinical cases that illustrate the principles of the treatment, focusing on bone reaction and healing potential.First, identification of emergency cases is of importance. Sepsis of the patient due to bone infections is a life-threatening disease that requires immediate surgical attention with abscess incision. It should be tailored to the surgeon's experience and local conditions to avoid unwanted complications, such as excessive bleeding, fracture or bone loss.In non-septic patients, uncomplicated cases should be distinguished from complicated cases as the first might often require only abscess incision, particularly in small children, without any other major surgical intervention.Biomechanical stability and bone formation capacity, soft tissue conditions and joint involvement are decisive factors differentiating uncomplicated from complicated cases. Central treatment column is the immobilization of the infected bone with simple methods, such as plaster of Paris, braces or external fixation. This is intended to provide sufficient stability to allow for new bone formation that subsequently downsizes the infection site and that can bridge previously infected non-union sites or bone defects. In most cases, antibiotic treatment is not performed as antibiotics are not available or affordable.Severe soft tissue defects remain a major challenge as microvascular surgical experience is often required for reliable coverage, for which referral to one of the very few specialized centers is recommended. Major bone defects should also be treated in centers with sufficient expertise for bone reconstruction procedures. Regular follow-ups are important to ensure healing and to avoid aggravation of the disease.Encouraging success rates can be achieved by these treatment principles. However, it should not be forgotten that poverty in these countries, including limited access to health care, remains one of the world's most important problems.

“Fibula plus Ilizarov”: a Simpler Strategy Than Bone Transport for Major Bone Defects in Children

Bone infection in children can cause extensive diaphyseal defects that are challenging to reconstruct. We report a modified technique of ours in 2 of our patients. One was a 10-year-old boy with 8 cm tibial defect and the other was 13-year-old boy with 7 cm femoral defect. The first stage of treatment involved radical debridement, sequestrectomy, antibiotic spacer application, stabilization with conventional external fixation, and 6 weeks of antibiotic therapy. The second stage of treatment consisted of intramedullary autologous fibular strut grafting stabilized with intramedullary K-wire supplemented with corticocancellous graft and stabilized with simple Ilizarov fixator. Patients began full weight bearing walking with fixator at three months of application. Fibular graft incorporated at 4 and 8 months for the femoral and tibial defects respectively. At follow-up of 3 years both patients are independent ambulators with preserved joint range of motion. We present this simple, cost-effective, and replicable technique.

Diagnosis and management of acute osteoarticular infections in children.

Acute hematogenous osteomyelitis and septic arthritis are not uncommon infections in children and should be considered as part of the differential diagnosis of limb pain and pseudoparalysis. Most bone infections in children arise secondary to hematogenous seeding of bacteria into bone. The most common pathogens are Staphylococcus aureus and Kingella kingae. Children with septic arthritis should be evaluated promptly by orthopedic specialists for aspiration and possible debridement of concomitant osteomyelitis. Optimal empiric therapy after appropriate cultures continues to be intravenous cefazolin. In most cases, conversion to oral antimicrobials should occur when the patient has clinically improved and has decreasing inflammatory markers. For most uncomplicated cases of osteomyelitis, current recommendations are 3 to 4 weeks of antimicrobial therapy compared with the 6 weeks previously recommended.

Osteomielitis de calcáneo en niños. Observaciones de una serie de casos.

Objetivos: la osteomielitis de calcáneo es una infección osteoarticular poco frecuente en niños, con manifestaciones clínicas sutiles y ausencia de compromiso sistémico, requiriendo ayuda de imágenes diagnosticas para confirmarlo. El propósito del trabajo fue describir unas características clínicas de una serie de pacientes con osteomielitis de calcáneo. Materiales y métodos: es un estudio retrospectivo de pacientes con Osteomielitis del calcáneo, en un periodo de 5 años. Variables analizadas fueron: edad, sexo, lateralidad, enfermedades o traumas previos, tiempo trascurrido para el diagnóstico y tratamiento. Resultados: Se analizaron nueve pacientes, en seis de ellos con cultivos de secreción se aislo S. aureus en 4 pacientes (tres casos meticilino resistente, un caso meticilinosensible) y Pseudomonas aeruginosa en dos casos. Se realizó resonancia en 6 pacientes todas sugestivas de osteomielitis. Conclusiones: es necesario un alto índice de sospecha para el diagnóstico, además de imágenes y laboratorios complementarios. Los valores de VSG (eritrosedimentación) y PCR (proteína C reactiva) iniciales fueron positivos en todos los pacientes y disminuyeron progresivamente durante el tratamiento. La PCR se correlaciono con mejoría clínica y fue parámetro importante para el cambio a vía oral del antibiótico. La Resonancia y la gammagrafía fueron contundentes para el diagnóstico. Staphylococcus aureus es la bacteria más aislada en este y en otros estudios. La P. aeruginosa se asocia a heridas en el talón. El tratamiento temprano con antibiótico es la elección. En algunos casos se requiere cirugía para drenaje y lavado.

L’ostéomyélite hématogène du calcanéum chez l’enfant : à propos de 26 cas

Osteomyelitis is rarely observed in the calcaneus; about 3 to 10% of the bone infections in children. The diagnosis is often established late because of the less pronounced symptoms in long-bone localizations. We report a series of 26 cases of osteomyelitis of the calcaneus observed in children. We studied the clinical history, the diagnostic process and the treatments delivered. Outcomes were assessed in terms of complications, anatomy and function at mean two years follow-up (range one to seven years). There were 15 boys and 11 girls, mean age was seven years (range one month to 13 years). Mean time from symptom onset to consultation was 13 days and mean time from consultation to hospital admission was four days, range one to 29 days. The clinical presentation was not specific. Body temperature was not above 38.5 degrees C in 45% of patients. Symptoms were fever, pain in the rear foot and functional impotency of the lower limb. Eight patients (30%) complained of moderate pain, 18 (70%) of intense pain. The pain was focused far from the calcaneus in six patients, retarding the diagnosis. Laboratory tests did not always reveal signs of inflammation. White cell counts above 10,000 were noted in only 61% of patients. The diagnosis of osteomyelitis of the calcaneus was based on: the plain X-ray, which revealed a defect in the calcaneus (n=12), ultrasound (performed in 19 patients) which revealed calcaneal subperiosteal detachment (n=6), collections in the rear foot (n=3) and soft-tissue thickening (n=4). Bone scintigraphy was performed in one child and showed intense uptake in the calcaneus. Magnetic resonance imaging, performed in one patient, demonstrated an anomalous signal in the calcaneus (high-intensity T(2) and low-intensity T(1) with presence of a subperiosteal abscess). Bacteriology was positive in 53% of the children. Medical treatment was delivered for all patients and 23 underwent a surgical procedure. For one of the three patients treated medically, the diagnosis of osteomyelitis of the calcaneus was clinical, since the plain X-ray was normal, the ultrasound yielded no evidence of abscess formation and the bacteriology was negative; but after two months of antibiotic treatment, bone remodelling was in favour of osteomyelitis of the calcaneus. For the two other patients treated medically, the plain X-ray showed a defect in the calcaneus, which had filled after two months of antibiotics. For the 23 patients treated surgically, the procedure was an evacuation of a subperiosteal abscess for 13 (n=6 nonruptured and 7 ruptured). Surgery revealed a bone lesion in nine children allowing curettage of the defect. Articular involvement was noted in eight cases: subtalar osteoarthritis (n=6) and tibiotarsal arthritis (n=2). Two surgical explorations failed to find any abscess formation; blood cultures confirmed the diagnosis and enabled isolation of the causal germ. Outcome was assessed with a mean follow-up of two years, range one to seven years. Nineteen patients (73%) were free of sequelae. Seven patients (27%) presented poor outcome with significant limitation of motion in the rear foot and ankle ankylosis. Seven patients developed chronic fistules, with persistent discharge at last follow-up. The poor results were observed in patients treated late with mean 17 days before consultation. Six of the seven cases of poor outcome were associated with arthritis involving a calcaneal joint (subtalar and tibiotarsal in two patients and subtalar in four). The same pathophysiological phenomenon as observed in long-bone localizations is noted for osteomyelitis of the calcaneus; the calcaneus has an apophysis, which is equivalent to the metaphyseal region of long bones, leading to the bone's vulnerability to hematogenous infection. Late diagnosis can be related to the notion of trauma, the manifestations of osteomyelitis being attributed to ligament injury. The positive diagnosis of osteomyelitis of the calcaneus is often established late because of late consultation (13 days in our series) or the minimal expression of general signs. Magnetic resonance imaging contributes significantly to diagnosis by showing an abnormal bone signal; it can also disclose associated abscess formation. Authors differ in their descriptions of the complications. The analysis of our results shows that the prognosis of osteomyelitis of the calcaneus is related to early diagnosis and management. Associated septic arthritis is an element of poor prognosis.

Isolation of Kingella kingae from synovial fluids using four commercial blood culture bottles.

According to the literature, Kingella kingae may be an underdiagnosed cause of joint and bone infections in children. The use of the Bactec blood culture system for culture of joint fluids has dramatically improved the isolation of this fastidious bacterium. The aim of this study was to test the recovery rate and detection time of four commercial blood culture systems: three different BacT/Alert (Organon Teknika, USA) bottles and one Bactec (Becton Dickinson Microbiology Systems, USA) bottle, all inoculated with Kingella kingae strains mixed with pooled synovial fluids. For each strain the same inoculum and volume of synovial fluid was distributed into each of the four bottles. All 24 strains tested grew in the BacT/Alert Aerobic (100%) and the BacT/Alert Pedi-BacT (100%) bottles. Twenty-one strains grew in the BacT/Alert FAN aerobic (88%) bottle, and 15 strains grew in the Bactec Plus Aerobic F (63%) bottle, in both systems within 12 days (P<0.01). The Kingella kingae strains were first detected in the BacT/Alert Pedi-BacT bottles (P<0.001). The results were reproducible. The BacT/Alert blood culture bottles were superior to previously described blood culture systems in isolating Kingella kingae from synovial fluid, even with small inoculums and small volumes of synovial fluid.

Bone and joint infections in children.

Recent reports of joint and bone infections in children have provided several new insights into prompt and accurate diagnosis of these potentially destructive processes. In the HIV era, some reports have focused specifically on musculoskeletal infections at unusual sites with unusual organisms. Other reports further document the fascinating and perplexing entity of chronic recurrent multifocal osteomyelitis. Several new treatment trends are worth noting. Acute staphylococcal osteomyelitis in many children may be better treated at reduced costs by minimizing surgical intervention, shortening the duration of antibiotic courses and hospital stays, switching quickly to the oral route for antibiotics, and not using serum bactericidal levels. Early Lyme disease, Lyme arthritis, and neuroborreliosis may respond just as well to oral doxycycline as to intravenous ceftriaxone at a much lower cost and a decreased risk of complications.

Joint and Bone Infections in Children

Joint and Bone Infections in Children