Patients with orthopaedic infections may require admission to the intensive care unit (ICU). Necrotizing fasciitis and clostridial myonecrosis (gas gangrene) are serious soft tissue infections that may cause life-threatening complications. Patients suffering from infectious arthritis, osteomyelitis, or prosthetic joint infections may be seen in the ICU as a result of a previous injury, surgery, or delayed infectious processes. This article introduces the ICU nurse to the pathophysiology, clinical presentation, and management of a variety of orthopaedic infections.