Septic polyarthritis and its relation to systemic disease processes

Abstract In the case of a postoperative joint infection, the orthopaedic surgeon is frequently blamed. Certain intrinsic disease processes, however, make a joint more susceptible to infection. In these three reports of septic polyarthritis, all patients had underlying systemic disorders, including rheumatoid arthritis, diabetes mellitus, and hemophilia A. Two of the three patients had had no recent surgical procedures. This suggests that the development of a pyarthrosis may depend at least as much on the patient's underlying systemic condition as on the surgeon and his or her technique.