Reducing time to surgery after anterior cruciate ligament injury

Recent work suggests that reconstruction of the ruptured anterior cruciate ligament within 12 months of injury results in better outcomes. We present a complete audit cycle examining the effect of establishment of an Acute Knee Clinic on time to surgery.

Records of 20 anterior cruciate ligament reconstructions undertaken by the senior author between June 2003 and May 2004 were examined to identify the time to surgery. The Acute Knee Clinic was established in December 2004. Prospectively collected data on patients attending the Acute Knee Clinic between May 2005 and July 2007 and patients undergoing anterior cruciate ligament reconstruction from September 2006 to 2007 were reviewed with respect to referral route, time from injury to specialist review and time to surgery.

Mean time from injury to surgery of the initial cohort was 14 months (range 3-56). After establishment of the Acute Knee Clinic, 90% of referrals from Accident and Emergency (A&E) were seen by a specialist within four weeks. Between September 2006 and September 2007, 49 patients underwent anterior cruciate ligament reconstruction: 21 came via the Acute Knee Clinic, with a mean time from injury to surgery of 6 months; 28 patients from the elective clinic had a mean time to surgery of 25 months. 95% of Acute Knee Clinic patients and 53 % of elective clinic patients had surgery within 12 months of injury.

The Acute Knee Clinic has been shown to reduce the time from injury to anterior cruciate ligament reconstruction. The Acute Knee Clinic only accounts for the referral of 40% of anterior cruciate ligament reconstructions in this series: Further education work is required with A&E staff and GPs regarding the referral of knee injuries. Access to the Acute Knee Clinic could be extended to GPs, although this could create service overload.