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Fewer early complications seen with arthroscopic vs open rotator cuff repair in veteran population
Compared with open repair, arthroscopic rotator cuff repair performed in a veteran population showed significantly lower rates of early postoperative complications and 30-day return to the OR.
Researchers used the Veterans Administration Surgical Quality Improvement Program database to identify 6,975 open rotator cuff repairs and 2,918 arthroscopic cuff repairs performed between 2003 and 2008. Patients in both groups were similar regarding BMI, comorbidities, gender distribution and age.
Results showed one or more complications were found in 144 patients from the open repair group (2.1%) and 26 patients from the arthroscopic repair group (0.9%). The open repair group also had a higher prevalence of both superficial and deep wound infections compared with the arthroscopic group. Within the 30-day follow-up period, return to the OR occurred in 1.1% and 0.5% of the open repair group and the arthroscopic group, respectively.
According to results of a logistic regression analysis, the arthroscopic group had a significantly lower chance of one or more complications, a lower rate of return to the OR and less chance of readmission to the hospital compared with the open repair group. ‒ by Monica Jaramillo
Disclosures: Owens reports he is a paid consultant for Mitek Sports Medicine and the Musculoskeletal Transplant Foundation. Please see the full study for a list of all other authors’ relevant financial disclosures.