Demonstrating antibiotic stewardship while diagnosing and treating bilateral pseudoseptic arthritis: a case report

Although viscosupplementation is a commonly used treatment for osteoarthritis and is widely regarded as a safe treatment option, it is associated with the rare complication of pseudoseptic arthritis. Most existing case reports that cite this rare complication employed the use of early broad-spectrum antibiotics.

In this case report, we present a 61-year-old African American female patient who presented with bilateral knee pseudoseptic arthritis in the setting of viscosupplementation. She presented 3 days after bilateral viscosupplementation injections with bilateral knee swelling, discomfort, and pain with micromotion. Her white blood cell count (WBC) was 12.83 (4.5–11 normal), her C-reactive protein (CRP) level was 159 mg/L (0–10 normal), and her erythrocyte sedimentation rate (ESR) was 79 mm/hour (0–40 normal). Her left knee aspirate yielded 38,580 WBC with a negative gram stain and negative cultures. Her right knee aspirate yielded 29,670 WBC with a negative gram stain and negative cultures. Through the utilization of careful clinical monitoring, ice therapy, and non-steroidal inflammatory medication, we were able to successfully treat this patient while maintaining proper antibiotic stewardship.

Pseudoseptic arthritis in the setting of viscosupplementation can be adequately treated and monitored without the use of antibiotics.