[Chronic bone infections after surgery. Treatment with the new quinolones]

A prospective open study carried out over 5 years and including 20 patients suffering from chronic bone suppuration following orthopaedic surgery has confirmed the value of the new quinolones (NQ) in these indications. The patients received pefloxacin or ciprofloxacin most often combined with rifampicin or fusidic acid for a mean period of 7 months. Single or multiple organism infections were documented in 14 patients, the majority being Staph. aureus (n = 13) and Pseudomonas (n = 14). Samples were sterile in 6 cases. Fourteen therapeutic successes and 5 failures were observed. In one patient, improvement was noted but the post-treatment follow-up insufficient to pronounce a cure. Success was obtained in 14 out of 16 patients who had sensitive organisms or sterile samples. The mean post-treatment follow-up (16 months) was satisfactory but insufficient to speak of cure. However, in these patients for whom further surgery, however desirable, is often refused, NQ constitute an improvement which raises hopes of cure or allows further surgery.