A septic hip complicated by a ruptured appendix in an intravenous drug user

This paper reports on a case of hip joint sepsis complicated by a ruptured appendix in an intravenous drug user. A 41-year-old woman underwent open irrigation and débridement of her right hip joint for a methicillin-sensitive Staphylococcus aureus infection. Five days later the patient developed an intraperitoneal mass, requiring laparotomy and débridement of a periappendiceal abscess. The organisms infecting the abscess were different from those infecting the patient's hip. The patient recovered satisfactorily after 6 weeks of intravenous antibiotic therapy.