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  • Septic arthritis of the native hip joint and septic pulmonary embolism in an adult with sickle cell trait after a complicated dental extraction

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Case Reports: Unusual presentation of more common disease/injury
Septic arthritis of the native hip joint and septic pulmonary embolism in an adult with sickle cell trait after a complicated dental extraction
  1. Chukwudi Isaac Ayogu1 and
  2. Balakrishna Valluru2
  1. 1 Emergency Medicine, Royal Liverpool University Hospital, Liverpool, UK
  2. 2 Royal Liverpool University Hospital, Liverpool, UK
  1. Correspondence to Dr Balakrishna Valluru; balakrishna.valluru{at}liverpoolft.nhs.uk

Abstract

Septic arthritis (SA) is a serious infection of the joint which can lead to irreversible destruction of the joint.

We report a case of right hip SA with septic pulmonary embolism following a complicated dental extraction in a woman in her early 40s with sickle cell trait (SCT).

The patient presented with severe right thigh pain and left jaw pain.

Initial workup revealed raised C reactive protein and positive blood cultures. Right hip joint SA was confirmed following intraoperative joint aspiration. The patient had right hip debridement with long-term intravenous antibiotics.

The incidence of SA in adults with sickle cell disease is low: 0.3% in a study in France and Brazil and 10.3% incidence of haematogenous osteoarticular infection in children with SCT in West Africa.

  • Emergency medicine
  • Orthopaedic and trauma surgery
  • Musculoskeletal and joint disorders
  • Bone and joint infections

https://doi.org/10.1136/bcr-2023-254945

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    Footnotes

    • Contributors BV and CIA were responsible for drafting of the text, sourcing and editing of clinical images, investigation of the results, drawing original diagrams and algorithms, and critical revision for important intellectual content. BV and CIA gave final approval of the manuscript.

    • Funding The authors have not declared a specific grant for this research from any funding agency in the public, commercial or not-for-profit sectors.

    • Case reports provide a valuable learning resource for the scientific community and can indicate areas of interest for future research. They should not be used in isolation to guide treatment choices or public health policy.

    • Competing interests None declared.

    • Provenance and peer review Not commissioned; externally peer reviewed.