ABSTRACT
Septic arthritis generally refers to bacterial infection of a joint. Smith
first described septic arthritis of hips in an article “Acute Arthritis in
Infants” in 1874 [1], and for a long time septic hip in the newborn
was known as Tom Smith’s arthritis after him. The mortality rate
during those days was about 60%, as described by Smith. With the
advent of antibiotics, the mortality rate was brought down to 1% in
the 20th century [2]. However, delay in diagnosis and treatment can
cause considerable damage to the hip joint and long-termmorbidity.
The thick and strong joint capsule rapidly increases the intra-
articular pressure that can jeopardise the critical blood supply to
the femoral head. Amultidisciplinary approach involving the general
practitioner, paediatrician, orthopaedic surgeon, bacteriologist, and
physiotherapist is needed to treat this problem effectively. In
neonates the signs and symptoms are not very classical of infection,
and hence more challenging for the physician to diagnose. There
is direct correlation between the delay in diagnosis and worse
outcomes [3]. Delay in starting treatment for more than four days,
associated osteomyelitis, and methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) as the causative organism are some of the poor prognostic factors. The goal is to diagnose early and preserve the
function of the hip joint.
