TAMING THE SRU
Taming The SRU - October 10, 2016 - By Shaun Harty, MD
"...PUTTING IT ALL TOGETHER
- For primarily inflammatory findings, keep in mind both crystal-induced arthropathies as well as other potential autoimmune causes like RA or SLE
- Septic arthritis is NOT defined by >50,000/mm3 WBCs in the synovial fluid; use your clinical gestalt and the entire picture to define your diagnosis
- Crystals in the synovial fluid does not preclude the joint from being septic
- If a septic arthritis diagnosis cannot be reliably excluded after clinical evaluation, including arthrocentesis, admit the patient for IV antibiotics and pain control until culture results are available
- Based on clinical suspicion, additional testing may be pursued including serum Borrelia burgdorferi DNA PCR and special staining and culturing for TB or fungal organisms"