Septic Arthritis and Arthrocentesis Landmarks

SYNOVIAL FLUID ANALYSIS

• sWBC > 50,000 – essentially rules IN septic arthritis
• sWBC < 50,000 – unhelpful for clinical diagnosis
• Gram Stain: useful when positive, unhelpful when negative
• Culture: not available when we need it in the ED
• Lactate >10 – essentially rules IN septic arthritis

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