Summary

The incidence of septic arthrits after ACL-reconstruction in Sweden is in accordance with previous international studies.

Abstract

OBJECTIVES:
Annually around 3,500 anterior cruciate ligament reconstructions (ACLr) are performed in Sweden. Septic arthritis (SA) is a rare but potentially serious complication after ACLr. Previous studies have shown varying incidence rates from 0.30 to 1.70. The incidence of SA after ACLr in Sweden is unknown. Our aim was to study the incidence of SA after ACLr in the population registered in the Swedish Knee Ligament Register (SKLR).

Methods

We conducted a register-based cohort study based on data from the SKLR and the National Patient Register (NPR). All ACLr registered in the SKLR 2006-2013 were included and linked with data from the NPR. Outcome was any SA event within 90 days after surgery.

Results

The cohort consisted of 26,669 ACLr performed on 25,169 patients (mean age 27.2 years, 42.1% female). 325 SA events were identified in the NPR (1.2%). The mean age in the SA-group was 27.5 years (range 11-53) with 28% being female.

Conclusion

Our preliminary results show that SA after ACLr in Sweden is in accordance with previous international studies. The further analysis will establish potential risk factors such as age, sex, BMI, smoking, operating time and concomitant procedures during ACLr