Complications in Shoulder Arthroscopy

Abstract Background Opioids continue to be the analgesic of choice for postoperative pain control following arthroscopic knee and shoulder surgery. Despite their widespread use, there are limited evidence-based clinical practice guidelines for postoperative opioid prescribing. The Non-Opioid Prescriptions after Arthroscopic Surgery in Canada (NO PAin) Trial is a randomized controlled trial (RCT) designed to determine whether a non-opioid analgesia approach to postoperative pain, compared to usual care, reduces oral morphine equivalents (OME) consumed in patients undergoing outpatient knee and shoulder arthroscopy. Methods This is a multi-centre, RCT with a target sample size of 200 patients. Adult (18+ years of age) patients undergoing outpatient knee and shoulder arthroscopy will be randomized to a non-opioid postoperative protocol (intervention) or the current standard of care (control). The intervention will consist of a standardized non-opioid analgesic prescription, a limited rescue opioid prescription, and a patient education infographic. The control is defined as the treating surgeons’ pre-trial postoperative analgesic regimen. Exclusion criteria include chronic opioid use, concomitant open surgery, contraindications to the prescribed analgesics or ongoing workers compensation/litigation. The primary outcome is OMEs consumed at 6 weeks postoperatively. Secondary outcomes will include patient-reported pain and satisfaction, quantity of OMEs prescribed, number of opioid refills, and any adverse events up to 6 weeks postoperatively. Utilizing the intention to treat principle for all analyses, independent samples t-test and presented with a p-value as well as a mean difference (MD) with 95% confidence intervals (CIs) will be performed for primary and secondary outcomes. Discussion The ongoing opioid epidemic and overprescribing of opioids in orthopaedics serve as the rationale for this trial. There is a lack of evidence upon which to develop post-operative pain management guidelines for patients undergoing arthroscopic surgery. A prospective evaluation of this relatively inexpensive intervention will demonstrate whether an explicit effort to reduce the number of opioids prescribed results in a reduction in the amount of opioids consumed and help to inform future studies and guidelines. Trial registration The NO PAin trial has been prospectively registered with clinicaltrials.gov (NCT04566250).

Download Full-text

SLAP Tears

Video Journal of Sports Medicine ◽

10.1177/26350254211000754 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 1 (3) ◽

pp. 263502542110007

Author(s):

Steven B. Cohen ◽

John R. Matthews

Keyword(s):

Rotator Cuff ◽

Shoulder Arthroscopy ◽

Biceps Tendon ◽

Full Range ◽

Contralateral Side ◽

Highly Active ◽

Slap Repair ◽

Biceps Tenotomy ◽

Labral Tears ◽

Anterior Posterior

Background: Superior labral tears are frequently encountered during shoulder arthroscopy. Outcomes following superior labral anterior-posterior (SLAP) repairs in young athletes have been well documented. Superior labral repairs in older patient population continue to remain controversial due to concerns of postoperative complications including persistent preoperative symptoms, pain, stiffness, and higher rates of revision surgery. Indications: We present a case of a highly active 38-year-old woman who failed 1½ years of nonoperative management of a type IIB SLAP tear with extension to the posterior labrum. Her symptoms continued to limit her hobbies and work. Technique: A knotless single-anchor SLAP repair was performed along with debridement of the posterior frayed labrum. No biceps tenotomy or tenodesis was performed after full evaluation of the tendon failed to demonstrate evidence of synovitis, tendinopathy, or tear. The patient also did not have any concomitant shoulder pathology, including a rotator cuff tear or chondral lesion. Results: At 6 months, the patient had regained full range of motion similar to the contralateral side. She had returned to her normal activities and sports, including tennis. Discussion/Conclusion: Successful outcomes following SLAP repairs in patients over 35 years can be achieved, but treatment should be individualized with particular attention to concomitant pathology involving the rotator cuff, chondral surface, or biceps tendon which may require tenodesis or tenotomy.

Download Full-text

The Impact of Smoking on Clinical Results Following the Rotator Cuff and Biceps Tendon Complex Arthroscopic Surgery

Journal of Clinical Medicine ◽

10.3390/jcm10040599 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 10 (4) ◽

pp. 599

Author(s):

Jan Zabrzyński ◽

Gazi Huri ◽

Maciej Gagat ◽

Łukasz Łapaj ◽

Alper Yataganbaba ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Rotator Cuff ◽

Functional Outcomes ◽

Shoulder Arthroscopy ◽

Smoking Status ◽

Biceps Tendon ◽

Arthroscopic Surgery ◽

Rotator Cuff Tears ◽

Shoulder Injuries ◽

The Impact

The purpose of this study was to investigate the association of smoking and functional outcomes after arthroscopic treatment of complex shoulder injuries: rotator cuff tears (RCTs) with biceps tendon (LHBT) tears. This retrospective case-control study has been conducted on a cohort of patients who underwent shoulder arthroscopy between 2015 and 2017 due to complex injury treatment. The outcomes were assessed using the American Shoulder and Elbow Surgeons Score (ASES), the University of California at Los Angeles (UCLA) Shoulder Score, need for non-steroid anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) consumption and the visual analog scale (VAS). Complications and changes in smoking status were also noted. A cohort of 59 patients underwent shoulder arthroscopy, due to complex LHBT pathology and RCTs, and were enrolled in the final follow-up examination; with mean duration of 26.03 months. According to smoking status, 27 of patients were classified as smokers, and the remaining 32 were non-smokers. In the examined cohort, 36 patients underwent the LHBT tenotomy and 23 tenodesis. We observed a relationship between smoking status and distribution of various RCTs (p < 0.0001). The mean postoperative ASES and UCLA scores were 80.81 and 30.18 in the smoker’s group and 84.06 and 30.93 in the non-smoker’s group, respectively. There were no statistically significant differences in pre/postoperative ASES and postoperative UCLA scores between smokers and non-smokers (p > 0.05). The VAS was significantly lower in the non-smokers’ group (p = 0.0021). Multi-tendon injuries of the shoulder are a serious challenge for surgeons, and to obtain an excellent functional outcome, we need to limit the negative risk factors, including smoking. Furthermore, there is a significant association between smoking and the occurrence of massive rotator cuff tears, and the pain level measured by the VAS. Simultaneous surgical treatment of RC and LHBT lesions in the smoker population allowed us to obtain the functional outcomes approximated to non-smokers in the long-term follow-up. Of course, we cannot assert that smoking is the real cause of all complications, however, we may assume that this is a very important, negative factor in shoulder arthroscopy.

Download Full-text

Outbreak of Pseudomonas aeruginosa Surgical Site Infections after Arthroscopic Procedures: Texas, 2009

Infection Control and Hospital Epidemiology ◽

10.1086/662712 ◽

2011 ◽

Vol 32 (12) ◽

pp. 1179-1186 ◽

Cited By ~ 47

Author(s):

Pritish K. Tosh ◽

Maureen Disbot ◽

Jonathan M. Duffy ◽

Marc L. Boom ◽

Gary Heseltine ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Pseudomonas Aeruginosa ◽

Case Control Study ◽

Shoulder Arthroscopy ◽

Surgical Site Infections ◽

Case Control ◽

Surgical Instrument ◽

Case Patient ◽

Surgical Equipment ◽

Control Study ◽

Arthroscopic Procedures

Setting.Seven organ/space surgical site infections (SSIs) that occurred after arthroscopic procedures and were due to Pseudomonas aeruginosa of indistinguishable pulsed-field gel electrophoresis (PFGE) patterns occurred at hospital X in Texas from April 22, 2009, through May 7, 2009.Objective.To determine the source of the outbreak and prevent future infections.Design.Infection control observations and a case-control study.Methods.Laboratory records were reviewed for case finding. A case-control study was conducted. A case patient was defined as someone who underwent knee or shoulder arthroscopy at hospital X during the outbreak period and subsequently developed organ/space SSI due toP. aeruginosa. Cultures of environmental and surgical equipment samples were performed, and selected isolates were analyzed by PFGE. Surgical instrument reprocessing practices were reviewed, and surgical instrument lumens were inspected with a borescope after reprocessing to assess cleanliness.Results.The case-control study did not identify any significant patient-related or operator-related risk factors. P. aeruginosa grew from 62 of 388 environmental samples. An isolate from the gross decontamination sink had a PFGE pattern that was indistinguishable from that of the case patient isolates. All surgical instrument cultures showed no growth. Endoscopic evaluation of reprocessed arthroscopic equipment revealed retained tissue in the lumen of both the inflow/outflow cannulae and arthroscopic shaver handpiece. No additional cases occurred after changes in instrument reprocessing protocols were implemented. After this outbreak, the US Food and Drug Administration released a safety alert about the concern regarding retained tissue within arthroscopic shavers.Conclusions.These SSIs were likely related to surgical instrument contamination with P. aeruginosa during instrument reprocessing. Retained tissue in inflow/outflow cannulae and shaver handpieces could have allowed bacteria to survive sterilization procedures.

Download Full-text