Calcium sulphate delivery system with tobramycin for the treatment of chronic calcaneal osteomyelitis

The case of a 24-year-old woman with Pseudomonas aeruginosa and Proteus mirabilis chronic calcaneal osteomyelitis is presented. Extensive debridement of the necrotic bone and application of tobramycin-loaded polymethylmethacrylate beads was performed and ciprofloxacin was given post-operatively. Three months later, laboratory tests, including complete blood cell count, erythrocyte sedimentation rate and C-reactive protein, were normal. At this time, extensive surgical debridement and filling of the osseous defect with autologous iliac cancellous bone graft and tobramycin-impregnated calcium sulphate pellets and paste were performed. Oral ciprofloxacin was administered for 3 months after surgery. At the latest follow-up, 2 years later, the patient had full weight-bearing function; there was no recurrence of the infection, and complete incorporation of the autologous bone and calcium sulphate graft with the host bone was observed. This case demonstrates that two-stage surgical treatment with extensive debridement and tobramycin-impregnated calcium sulphate was effective in treating chronic calcaneal osteomyelitis.