The risk of early infection following intra-articular corticosteroid injection following shoulder arthroplasty.

BACKGROUND

There is little literature examining the association of corticosteroid injections into shoulders with a pre-existing arthroplasty. The aim of the current study was to determine the risk of early infection following intra-articular corticosteroid injection into a pre-existing shoulder arthroplasty.

METHODS

The PearlDiver database was retrospectively reviewed to identify patients with a pre-existing shoulder arthroplasty from 2007 to 2017. Patients with an ipsilateral shoulder corticosteroid injection in the postoperative period were identified. A control group of patients without an injection was matched 4:1 by age, gender, and postoperative timepoint. Periprosthetic infection within six months after the injection was then assessed and compared using a logistic regression analysis.

RESULTS

Nine hundred and fifty-eight patients were identified who underwent a postoperative corticosteroid injection into a pre-existing shoulder arthroplasty and compared to 3832 control patients. After controlling for demographics, comorbidities, and procedure type, the rate of infection in patients who received a postoperative corticosteroid injection (1.77%) was significantly higher than control patients who did not receive an injection (0.91%) (OR 1.98 (95% CI 1.31-2.98), p = 0.0253).

CONCLUSIONS

There is a significant association between intra-articular shoulder corticosteroid injections in patients with pre-existing shoulder arthroplasties and prosthetic joint infection compared to matched controls without postoperative injections.

STUDY DESIGN

Level III, retrospective cohort study.