Hello and welcome to the Zero to Finals podcast.

My name is Tom, and in this episode I'm going to be talking to you about septic arthritis in children.

And you can find written notes on this topic at zero tofinals.com slash septic arthritis

or in the orthopedic section of the zero-definals pediatrics book.

So let's get straight into it.

Septic arthritis refers to infection inside a joint.

This can occur at any age, but it's most common in children under four years of age.

Infection in a joint is an emergency, as the infection can quickly begin to destroy the joint

and cause serious systemic illness and sepsis.

Septic arthritis has a mortality around 10%.

Therefore early recognition and management is essential.

Septic arthritis is a common and important complication of joint replacement.

It occurs in around 1% of straightforward hip or knee replacements,

and this percentage is higher with revision surgery.

Although this is less likely to be significant in children,

as not many children have replacement

joints.

So how does septic arthritis present and how do you spot it?

Septic arthritis usually only affects a single joint.

Often this is a knee or a hip.

It presents with a rapid onset of a hot, red, swollen and painful joint, refusing to

weight bear on that joint, stiffness in the joint and reduced range of motion, and systemic

...