Works in progress #4. Current status of local antibiotic delivery via an implantable pump.

We present our technique and results in using an implantable drug pump to deliver antibiotics locally in the treatment of two specific orthopaedic infections: chronic recalcitrant osteomyelitis and acutely infected total joints. This method of antibiotic delivery in conjunction with appropriate surgical management results in prolonged suppression of infection in 71% of patients with chronic recalcitrant osteomyelitis. In acutely infected arthroplasties we were able to salvage the prosthesis and suppress the infection in 18 of 20 cases.