Complications, Reoperations, and Readmissions After Common Arthroscopic Sports Medicine Procedures of the Knee: An...

Arthroscopic knee surgeries are among the most commonly performed orthopaedic surgeries, yet complications of these procedures are relatively understudied.

To determine the rate of complications, reoperations, and readmissions for arthroscopic knee surgeries by procedure, patient characteristics, and physician fellowship training status using a large national database.

Cross-sectional study; Level of evidence, 3.

Data were collected from the American Board of Orthopaedic Surgery (ABOS) database for early-career orthopaedic surgeons taking the ABOS Part II Oral Examination between 2003 and 2022. We queried the type and frequency of complications, unexpected 90-day reoperations, and readmissions for patients undergoing sports medicine knee arthroscopy. Chi-square test and analysis of variance were used to determine the effect of fellowship training status, geographic region of practice, patient age, and patient sex on outcomes of interest.

Of 138,823 knee arthroscopic procedures, 10,450 complications were self-reported, making for an overall complication rate of 7.53%. Unexpected 90-day reoperation and readmission rates were calculated to be 1.16% and 0.91%, respectively. Posterior cruciate ligament reconstruction had the highest complication rate (26.38%). Sports medicine fellowship-trained physicians had a significantly higher rate of complications (P < .001) compared with their non-sports medicine fellowship-trained peers (8.43% and 7.06%, respectively). Female patients had a higher complication rate (7.72%) than males (7.40%) (P = .02). Patients aged 20 to 29 had the highest rate of complications and reoperations (10.29% and 1.56%, respectively), whereas patients aged 70 to 79 had the highest rate of readmission (1.47%). Geographic regions of practice had significantly different complication and reoperation rates (P < .01). The rate of deep venous thrombus was 0.57%, and the rate of pulmonary embolism was 0.12%. Forty-two patients died, for an overall 0.03% mortality rate.

The overall rate of self-reported complications was 7.53%, and the 90-day rate of unexpected reoperation and unexpected readmission was 1.16% and 0.91%, respectively. Patient sex, patient age, sports medicine fellowship training status, and geographic region of practice all affected rates of complications, reoperations, and readmissions. Knee arthroscopy carries many risks of which patients should be aware before undergoing these procedures.