Division BJ-BONE: Osteomyelitis

Osteomyelitis must meet at least one of the following criteria:

• Patient has organisms cultured from bone

• Patient has evidence of osteomyelitis on direct examination of the bone during a surgical operation or histopathologic examination

• Patient has at least two of the following signs or symptoms with no other recognised cause: fever (> 38 °C), localised swelling, tenderness, heat, or drainage at suspected site of bone infection

AND at least one of the following:

• organisms cultured from blood

• positive blood antigen test (e.g. Haemophilus.influenzae, Streptococcus pneumoniae)

• radiographic evidence of infection (e.g. abnormal findings on x-ray, CT scan, MRI, radiolabel scan [gallium, technetium, etc.]).