Risk Factors for Complications after Primary Repair of Achilles Tendon Ruptures

Abstract

Background: Operative treatment of Achilles tendon ruptures is associated with lower rates of rereupture compared to nonoperative treatment. However, concerns regarding adverse events (AE) in the postoperative period such as wound complications and surgical site infection (SSI) persist. The purpose of this study was to identify patient characteristics associated with the occurrence of adverse events in Achilles tendon rupture (ATR) surgical repair cases.

ACFAS Clinical Consensus Statement: Acute Achilles Tendon Pathology

“…Patients >40 years old and male patients did have lower scores. In a 30-day follow-up study of 615 patients by Pean et al (28), 2% had adverse outcomes. Smoking, obesity, and diabetes were not factors.…”

“…Several additional studies found that obese patients displayed statistically significantly higher rates of wound complications, venous thromboembolism, and medical complications (23,24). In contrast, a smaller study did not find that obesity had any effect on the occurrence of adverse events after Achilles tendon repair (25).…”