How is septic arthritis treated? Why must septic arthritis be treated expeditiously?
Septic arthritis is treated removal of the joint fluid and IV antibiotics.
The key consideration is that the body’s own response to the infection may inflict horrible damage on the sensitive articular cartilage. Joint fluid with high white counts is toxic! So even if we don’t think the patient is at risk for getting systemically sick from a joint infection, we must “wash it out” to save the joint itself. Whether you believe this should be done by serial needle aspirations or by surgery says more about your guild membership (surgeon vs non-surgeon) than about your scientific acumen.