Operative Treatment of Infections in the Foot and Ankle

Treatment of infections of the foot and ankle, similar to other areas of orthopaedics, often require operative treatment to remove infected tissue and bone, and potentiate the effectiveness of antibiotic management. Due to the presence of patient comorbidities such as diabetes and peripheral vascular disease, a seemingly minor infection can result in major morbidity and even mortality in the foot and ankle patient. In this article, we focus on the general principles of irrigation and debridement for treating foot and/or ankle infections, and discuss treatment strategies for septic ankle arthritis and periprosthetic ankle joint infections following total ankle arthroplasty.

Source: Operative Techniques in Orthopaedics - January 11, 2016 Category: Orthopaedics Authors: Patrick S. Buckley, Steven M. Raikin Source Type: research