Corticosteroid Injections Administered Within Four Weeks Prior to Hip Arthroscopy are Associated with Higher Rates of Postoperative Infection.

PURPOSE: The purpose of this study was to evaluate the association between the timing of intra-articular hip corticosteroid injections and the risk of postoperative infection in patients undergoing hip arthroscopy.

METHOD: The 2010-2021 PearlDiver M157 administrative claims database was queried for patients who underwent hip arthroscopy. Patients who received intra-articular corticosteroid injections within 12 weeks prior to arthroscopy were matched to those who did not 1:1 based on age, sex, and Elixhauser-Comorbidity Index, and the presence of diabetes mellitus, hypertension, obesity, and tobacco use. Those with injection prior to arthroscopy were subdivided based on having had the injection within 12 weeks prior to surgery. To verify that the corticosteroid injection and surgery were conducted in the hip joint, Current Procedural Terminology (CPT) codes were utilized. Using CPT coding and the International Classification of Diseases (ICD) 9th or 10th Revision, postoperative surgical site infection following corticosteroid injection was evaluated. The impact of the timing of preoperative corticosteroid injections on the incidence of postoperative infection was evaluated using multivariable logistic regression analysis.

RESULTS: A total of 12,390 hip arthroscopy cases were identified, including 3,579 patients who received a corticosteroid injection 0-4 weeks prior to the surgery, 4,759 within 4-8 weeks prior to the surgery, and 4,052 within 8-12 weeks prior to the surgery. Compared to controls, patients who received a corticosteroid injection within 0-4 weeks preoperatively had a significantly higher rate of surgical site infection (OR 2.43; P=0.0001). No significant differences were observed in infection rates at the later time intervals (4-8 weeks or 8-12 weeks). Furthermore, in comparison to controls, patients who received a corticosteroid injection had a significantly higher rate of wound dehiscence (OR 1.84, P=0.0007).

CONCLUSION: Intra-articular corticosteroid injections within 4 weeks prior to hip arthroscopy were significantly associated with increased surgical site infection rates following hip arthroscopy surgery.