Infectious Arthritis Health Article

BOOKS

"Bedside Procedures: Joint Aspiration (Arthrocentesis)." In Surgery On Call, ed. Leonard G. Gomella and Alan T. Lefor. Stamford: Appleton & Lange, 1996.

Bradford, David S., et al. "Orthopedics." In Current Surgical Diagnosis and Treatment. 10th ed. Ed. Lawrence W. Way. Stamford: Appleton & Lange, 1994.

Eilert, Robert E. "Bones & Joints." In Handbook of Pediatrics, ed. Gerald B. Merenstein, et al. Norwalk, CT: Appleton & Lange, 1994.

Gilliland, Bruce C., and Robert G. Petersdorf. "Infectious Arthritis." In Harrison's Principles of Internal Medicine, ed. Eugene Braunwald, et al. New York: McGraw-Hill Book Co., 1987.

Hellman, David B., "Arthritis & Musculoskeletal Disorders." In Current Medical Diagnosis and Treatment, 1998. 37th ed. Ed. Stephen McPhee, et al. Stamford: Appleton & Lange, 1997.

"Musculoskeletal and Connective Tissue Disorders: Infectious Arthritis." In The Merck Manual of Diagnosis and Therapy. 16th ed. Ed. Robert Berkow. Rahway, NJ: Merck Research Laboratories, 1992.

Nanagara, Ratanavadee, et al. "Septic Arthritis." In Current Diagnosis. Vol. 9. Ed. Rex B. Conn, et al. Philadelphia: W.B. Saunders Co., 1997.

"On-Call Problems: Joint Swelling." In Internal Medicine On Call, ed. Steven A. Haist, et al. Stamford: Appleton & Lange, 1991.

"Septic Arthritis." In Professional Guide to Diseases, ed. Stanley Loeb, et al. Springhouse, PA: Springhouse Corporation, 1991.

Theodosakis, Jason, et al. The Arthritis Cure. New York: St. Martin's Paperbacks, 1997.

Rebecca J. Frey, PhD

KEY TERMS

Arthrocentesis—A procedure in which the doctor inserts a needle into the patient's joint to withdraw fluid for diagnostic testing or to drain infected fluid from the joint.

Pyogenic arthritis—Another name for infectious arthritis. Pyogenic means that pus is formed during the disease process.

Sepsis—Invasion of the body by disease organisms or their toxins. Generalized sepsis can lead to shock and eventual death.

Septic arthritis—Another name for infectious arthritis.

Synovial fluid (SF)—A fluid secreted by tissues surrounding the joints that lubricates the joints.