Tibial osteomyelitis following intraosseous infusion: a case report

Abstract

Fluids, medications, and blood products can be rapidly administered via intraosseous infusion under emergency conditions, particularly to pediatric patients aged from 0 to 2 years. A five-month-old infant who had been hospitalized with a diagnosis of sepsis developed swelling and hyperemia at the infusion site 10 days after an intraosseous infusion in the right proximal tibia. Physical examination showed a serous discharge from a fistula on the anteromedial side of the right proximal cruris. Plain radiographs demonstrated periosteal reaction in the right tibia and osteolytic areas in the proximal metaphysis. With a diagnosis of acute osteomyelitis, drainage and medullary irrigation were performed and parenteral antibiotic treatment was initiated. Cultures from the surgical site yielded Candida albicans, upon which fluconazole (8 mg/kg) treatment was administered for four weeks. A complete clinical and radiographic improvement was observed at the end of a 12-month follow-up.