{
  "schema_version": 1,
  "kind": "condition",
  "id": "bacterial-septic-arthritis",
  "name": "Bacterial (septic) arthritis",
  "category": "chronic",
  "sources": "ICPC-3 (WONCA International Classification of Primary Care, 3rd edition) class LD01.00 - condition scope only, no dose · No dose - referral pathway, no medicine given in primary care · Septic Arthritis - StatPearls - NCBI Bookshelf - https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/NBK538176/",
  "review_status": "reviewed",
  "verified_against": "No dose - referral pathway, no medicine given in primary care · Bacterial (septic) arthritis - disease-level clinical article (bacterial-septic-arthritis-clinical.txt)",
  "verified_date": "2026-08",
  "treatments": [
    {
      "id": 229,
      "generic": "No drug therapy in primary care (Referral & Advice)",
      "line": 1,
      "is_adjunct": false,
      "form": null,
      "strength_mg": null,
      "adult_dose": "An orthopaedic emergency that risks permanent joint destruction; the GP recognises it and refers urgently for joint aspiration and inpatient intravenous antibiotics rather than treating as an outpatient.",
      "adult_duration": "Refer, with advice",
      "dose_source": "No dose - referral pathway, no medicine given in primary care",
      "rationale": "An orthopaedic emergency that risks permanent joint destruction; the GP recognises it and refers urgently for joint aspiration and inpatient intravenous antibiotics rather than treating as an outpatient.",
      "cautions": [
        "Hot, swollen, immobile joint, inability to bear weight, fever, rapid onset, prosthetic joint involvement.",
        "No medicine is prescribed for this in primary care - this entry is for recognition and referral. Anything given is decided by the service it is referred to.",
        "RED FLAG - Staphylococcal septic arthritis carries a mortality rate exceeding 50%, requiring urgent emergency orthopedic evaluation."
      ],
      "peds_mgkg_low": null,
      "peds_mgkg_high": null,
      "peds_max_mg": null,
      "peds_basis": null,
      "peds_unit": null,
      "peds_note": "Children follow the same pathway: recognise and refer. No primary-care medicine is implied.",
      "peds_min_weight_kg": null,
      "peds_max_weight_kg": null,
      "peds_age_min_months": null,
      "peds_age_max_months": null,
      "peds_age_bands": null,
      "peds_doses": null,
      "brands": [],
      "condition_id": "bacterial-septic-arthritis"
    }
  ]
}