Osteomyelitis

Osteomyelitis is an infection of the bone and is often a delayed diagnosis given the ambiguity of the signs and symptoms. Listen in on how you might be able to better detect and treat osteomyelitis without delay.

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This episode was written by pediatric resident Victoria Tran Toft and pediatricians Tammy Yau and Lidia Park with content support from Natasha Nakra (UC Davis pediatric infectious disease). Pediatricians Tammy and Lidia take full responsibility for any errors or misinformation.

Key points:

• Osteomyelitis can present as limp or hesitancy with movement; this can occur with or without fevers and localizing signs.
• Main diagnostics include CRP, which also aids in assessing treatment response.
• Treatment is a long course of antibiotics. Typically, starting empiric IV antibiotics in the hospital and then transitioning to oral agents.

Sources:

• PIDS/IDSA Guideline on Diagnosis and Management of Acute Hematogenous Osteomyelitis in Pediatrics. Published 8/5/2021. Journal of the Pediatric Infectious Diseases Society. https://doi.org/10.1093/jpids/piab027