Abstract

Patients with osteomyelitis of the long bones need a surgical debridement with a long-term antibiotic therapy. This is always a great challenge. This patient group has usually a long hospitalization period, high therapy costs and a great risk of a recurrence. Patients often interrupt independently the long-term antibiotic therapy because of side effects. Patients with osteomyelitis do have many multiple comorbidities like diabetes mellitus or arthropathy which doesn't favor the healing process of the wound. The immune system of this patient group is often compromised due to cortisone treatment or an infectious disease. Some of these patients live at the margins of our society with addiction and psychiatric illnesses. Additionally experiences demonstrate that this patient population usually show a very poor compliance. A simple treatment concept is needed that can be carried out even in patients with poor reliability. This case report will demonstrate that even after two surgical treatments the healing of the wound was not accomplished. But using the treatment with antibiotic-loaded reservable bonegraft substitute the healing was successful.