Bacterial arthritis in a Swedish health district

The aim of this retrospective investigation was to study the occurrence, ch aracteristics and outcome of culture-positive bacterial arthritis in a Swed ish county hospital for the period 1994-97. Using registers of diagnosis, 1 5 adult patients with infectious arthritis in native joints were identified . Staphylococcus aureus was, as expected, the most common microbial agent. Six cases were caused by direct inoculation. The risk for bacterial arthrit is caused by intra-articular steroid injection was estimated at 1/12,000. J oint damage was seen in 6 cases. Two patients died during the infection. Wh ite blood cell count in synovial fluid was performed in 5 cases, with media n value 1.9 x 10(9)/l and, since it was not a good predictor of infection i n this study, the value of this method for this indication is questioned.