Treatment of Septic Olecranon and Prepatellar Bursitis with Percutaneous Placement of a Suction-Irrigation System

Ten cases of septic olecranon bursitis and two cases of septic prepatellar bursitis were treated in the period from 1975 to 1980 with antibiotics and percutaneous tube placement for suction-drainage and local antibiotic irrigation. All patients had positive bacterial cultures: Staphylococcus aureus in nine, beta-hemolytic Streptococcus in two, and Staphylococcus epidermidis in one. Intravenous antibiotics, local suction-drainage, and irrigation with a solution of 1% kanamycin and 0.1% polymyxin controlled the infection in each case. The antibiotic treatment averaged 19 days, compared with 24 days in a series in which suction-irrigation was not used. In contrast with studies in which aspiration or incision and drainage were performed, there were no complications or recurrences. Percutaneous suction-irrigation appears to be a safe, effective method of treatment that is particularly beneficial in severe cases of septic bursitis in which continuous drainage is desirable.