AANA19 Knee Access Pass-The Timing of Corticosteroid Injections Following Knee Arthroscopy Influence Infection Risk-Dr. Jourdan Cancienne, M.D., PhD.

The Timing of Corticosteroid Injections Following Knee Arthroscopy Influence Infection Risk-Dr. Jourdan Cancienne, M.D., PhD.

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Video Summary

This study examined the risk of infection associated with the timing of corticosteroid injections after simple knee arthroscopy. Using large datasets, researchers found that injections administered within two to four weeks post-surgery significantly increased infection rates compared to injections at six to eight weeks or no injection. The infection risk was higher in both private and Medicare populations. Potential reasons include misdiagnosed infections, immunologic interference, or contamination from the injection. The authors recommend delaying corticosteroid injections until at least four weeks after surgery to reduce infection risk and urge surgeons to consider possible underlying infection if early injections are given.

Keywords

corticosteroid injections

knee arthroscopy

infection risk

post-surgery timing

immunologic interference