Postoperative Infection after Anterior Cruciate Ligament Reconstruction: Prevention and Management

Infection after Anterior Cruciate Ligament Reconstruction: A Narrative Review of the Literature

Infection is an uncommon side effect of arthroscopic surgery, and this percentage is higher in anterior cruciate ligament reconstruction (ACLR) surgery, where graft and fixation devices are used. Infections can not only lead to high re-admission rates and poor functional recovery of the knee but can also have a significant negative impact on the patient's psychological and economic health, especially in athletes, as it can affect their sports career. It is important to be aware of the many risk factors, especially the manifestation of symptoms. These may sometimes be non-specific to the infectious pathology and common to other situations, such as the presence of a significant intra-articular hematoma. Septic arthritis after ACLR can occur at any time after surgery but typically presents acutely, while late manifestation is relatively rare. Diagnosis of infection is based on patient history, physical examination, laboratory parameters, and analysis of synovial fluid after joint aspiration, which is the gold standard for diagnosing post-operative infection. Once symptoms appear and the diagnosis seems certain, it is necessary to intervene quickly with arthroscopic debridement and long-term antibiotic treatment to try to save the graft and resolve the infectious situation to avoid graft failure and arthrofibrotic sequelae. The aim of this paper is to provide an overview of the epidemiology, pathogenesis, risk factors, clinical presentation, diagnostic evaluation, and current treatment guidelines of septic arthritis after ACLR surgery by analyzing recent literature, in particular meta-analyses and systematic reviews.

Extraarticular infection 9 years after anterior cruciate ligament reconstruction. Case report

Extraarticular infection after anterior cruciate ligament reconstruction (ACLr) is a rare condition with challenging diagnosis because the symptoms are milder and more insidious when compared to septic arthritis. When late (>2 months after surgery), it tends to be associated with osteomyelitis, requiring more extensive surgical debridement and hardware removal. We report a case of extraarticular infection after ACLr, in the acute phase affecting the tibial site and 9 years after index surgery affecting around the femur site. There was no progression to osteomyelitis at any of the sites. The infection developed a large posterolateral encapsulated abscess, with the endobutton plate loose inside it with its loop intact. In addition to the absence of osteomyelitis progression, there was no sinus tract formation, graft or joint involvement. With open debridement and antibiotic therapy, the patient returned to his activities without limitations. The reported case highlights that extraarticular infection after ACLr, while rare, can be challenging to diagnose and treat. However, with appropriate treatment, it can lead to good results with no functional limitations.

Semitendinosus tendons are commonly contaminated with skin flora during graft harvest for anterior cruciate ligament reconstruction

PURPOSE

To investigate the rate of bacterial contamination of semitendinosus (ST) tendons during graft harvest in anterior cruciate ligament reconstruction (ACLR), in order to precisely specify the underlying pathogens and obtain data on their susceptibility to potential antibiotics.

METHODS

In a prospective study, a total of 59 consecutive patients undergoing primary ACLR were recruited from one centre. No patient had history of previous surgery to the knee or showed clinical signs of infection. Four tissue samples of harvested ST tendons for anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) autografts (case group; ST) were examined for evidence of bacterial colonisation and compared to four tissue samples of the native ACL as negative controls (control group; ACL). Three of the respective samples were subjected to cultural microbiological examination and one to 16S rRNA-PCR. Antibiotic susceptibility testing was performed for each pathogen that was identified.

RESULTS

A total of 342 samples were analysed by culture. Significantly more patients showed a positive culture of the ST (33.9%; n = 20/59) compared to 3.4% of patients (n = 2/59) with positive culturing of the ACL (p < 0.0001). Including 16S rRNA-PCR, in a total of 42.4% (25/59) of patients, bacteria were detected in at least one ST sample either by PCR and/or culture. All species found (n = 33) belong to the typical skin flora with Staphylococcus epidermidis (39.4%; n = 13/33) being the most common species, followed by Staphylococcus capitis (24.2%; n = 8/33). All tested isolates (n = 29) were susceptible to vancomycin (29/29, 100%), 69% (n = 20/29) to oxacillin and 65.5% (n = 19/29) to clindamycin.

CONCLUSION

ST autografts for ACLR were commonly contaminated with skin commensal bacteria during harvest. One-third of the isolates showed resistance to typical perioperative intravenous antibiotics, whereas all isolates were sensitive to vancomycin. Therefore, routine prophylactic decontamination of all hamstring autografts before implantation should be recommended, preferably with topical vancomycin.

LEVEL OF EVIDENCE

Level III.

ESSKA and EBJIS recommendations for the management of infections after anterior cruciate ligament reconstruction (ACL-R): prevention, surgical treatment and rehabilitation

PURPOSE

Infection after anterior cruciate ligament reconstruction (ACL-R) is a rare but severe complication. Despite an increase in articles published on this topic over the last decade, solid data to optimized diagnostic and therapeutic measures are scarce. For this reason, the European Bone and Joint Infection Society (EBJIS) and the European Society for Sports Traumatology, Knee Surgery and Arthroscopy (ESSKA) collaborated in order to develop recommendations for the diagnosis and management of infections after ACL-R. The aim of the workgroup was to perform a review of the literature and provide practical guidance to healthcare professionals involved in the management of infections after ACL-R.

METHODS

An international workgroup was recruited to provide recommendations for predefined clinical dilemmas regarding the management of infections after ACL-R. MEDLINE, EMBASE, Cochrane Library and Scopus databases were searched for evidence to support the recommended answers to each dilemma.

RESULTS

The recommendations were divided into two articles. The first covers etiology, prevention, diagnosis and antimicrobial treatment of septic arthritis following ACL-R and is primarily aimed at infectious disease specialists. This article includes the second part of the recommendations and covers prevention of infections after ACL-R, surgical treatment of septic arthritis following ACL-R and subsequent postoperative rehabilitation. It is aimed not only at orthopedic surgeons, but at all healthcare professionals dealing with patients suffering from infections after ACL-R.

CONCLUSION

These recommendations guide clinicians in achieving timely and accurate diagnosis as well as providing optimal management, both of which are paramount to prevent loss of function and other devastating sequelae of infection in the knee joint.

LEVEL OF EVIDENCE

V.