Wound irrigation within the surgical treatment of osteomyelitis.

ABSTRACT

The basic treatment of osteomyelitis remains even today the surgical debridement in combination with a wound irrigation by lavage systems. Next to a comprehensive knowledge of the surgical techniques a profound knowledge of the lavage systems, the rinsing solutions used and the philosophies of revision programs are a must. In this article the typical hardware of modern lavage systems is analysed, their advantages and disadvantages are pointed out. In addition we investigate the value of common antiseptic wound irrigation solutions for their use in osteomyelitis therapy. Finally the two basic philosophies of wound revision and irrigation in the course of osteomyelitis therapy are presented and discussed.