RECRUITING

Alpha-Defensin and Synovial Proteins to Improve Detection of Pediatric Septic Arthritis

Description

Differentiating between septic arthritis and other causes of joint inflammation in pediatric patients is challenging and of the utmost importance because septic arthritis requires surgical debridement as part of the treatment regimen. The current gold standard to diagnose septic arthritis in children is a positive synovial fluid culture; however, joint cultures may take several days to return. If a bacterial infection is present, it requires immediate surgical intervention in order to prevent lasting articular cartilage damage. Frequently surgeons must decide whether to surgically debride a joint before culture results are available. There is no single lab test or clinical feature that reliably indicates bacterial infection over other causes of joint inflammation. The alpha-defensin assay has shown high sensitivity and specificity for joint infection in other studies.The purpose of this study is to determine the sensitivity and specificity of several synovial biomarkers for diagnosing pediatric septic arthritis.

Study Overview

Study Details

Study overview

Differentiating between septic arthritis and other causes of joint inflammation in pediatric patients is challenging and of the utmost importance because septic arthritis requires surgical debridement as part of the treatment regimen. The current gold standard to diagnose septic arthritis in children is a positive synovial fluid culture; however, joint cultures may take several days to return. If a bacterial infection is present, it requires immediate surgical intervention in order to prevent lasting articular cartilage damage. Frequently surgeons must decide whether to surgically debride a joint before culture results are available. There is no single lab test or clinical feature that reliably indicates bacterial infection over other causes of joint inflammation. The alpha-defensin assay has shown high sensitivity and specificity for joint infection in other studies.The purpose of this study is to determine the sensitivity and specificity of several synovial biomarkers for diagnosing pediatric septic arthritis.

Alpha-Defensin and Synovial Proteins to Improve Detection of Pediatric Septic Arthritis

Alpha-Defensin and Synovial Proteins to Improve Detection of Pediatric Septic Arthritis

Condition
Joint Infection
Intervention / Treatment

-

Contacts and Locations

Atlanta

Children's Healthcare of Atlanta, Atlanta, Georgia, United States, 30342

New York

Hospital for Special Surgery, New York, New York, United States, 10021

Collierville

Campbell Clinic, Collierville, Tennessee, United States, 38017

Participation Criteria

Researchers look for people who fit a certain description, called eligibility criteria. Some examples of these criteria are a person's general health condition or prior treatments.

For general information about clinical research, read Learn About Studies.

Eligibility Criteria

    Ages Eligible for Study

    to 17 Years

    Sexes Eligible for Study

    ALL

    Accepts Healthy Volunteers

    No

    Collaborators and Investigators

    Hospital for Special Surgery, New York,

    Emily R Dodwell, MD, MPH, PRINCIPAL_INVESTIGATOR, The Hospital for Special Surgery

    Study Record Dates

    2025-05