TREATMENT OF ACUTE HEMATOGENIC OSTEOMYELITIS IN CHILDREN

Experience in treatment of 348 children with acute hematogenic osteomyelitis is analysed. Newborn infants and children whose ages ranged from 1 to 15 years formed a group of patients. Of decisive importance in the outcome of the disease are early diagnosis and emergency operative measures, aimed at decompressing, opening and cleansing the purulent foci, producing a high concentration of antibiotics in the focus. Children who are in a grave condition are subjected to short-term preoperative management for 3-4 hours for detoxification, improvement of hemodynamics, prevention of septic shock and hyperthermia. Antibiotic therapy is given in 3 stages: in the first 10 days no less than 3 antibiotics are injected into the veins, into the muscles, and into the bones; from days 11 to 20 2 antibiotics are injected intramuscularly or into the bone; in the next 10 days one antibiotic is administered into the bone or muscle. Newborns and infants received injections by daily intraosseous puncture during the first 8-10 days of treatment. It is shown that the results of treatment may be improved only by intensive and complex measures applied timely and urgently. The mortality rate was 1.7 % for the decade and 0.8 % for the last 2 years.