A study analyzed the risk of postoperative infection related to the timing of corticosteroid injections before total knee arthroplasty (TKA). Examining data from 76,090 patients between 2007 and 2017, it found that injections within two weeks of TKA significantly increased infection risk, while injections given between two to four weeks showed a trend towards higher risk, though not statistically significant.
The research indicated that corticosteroid injections within two weeks before TKA are an independent risk factor for postoperative infection, with additional risks linked to various comorbidities. The results suggest that performing TKA within four weeks of receiving a corticosteroid injection may elevate the risk of infection, and delaying surgery beyond four weeks does not significantly reduce this risk. Further studies are recommended to identify the optimal timing for TKA following corticosteroid injections.
Ref: Bhattacharjee S, Wallace S, Luu HH, Shi LL, Lee MJ, Chen AF. Do We Need to Wait 3 Months After Corticosteroid Injections to Reduce the Risk of Infection After Total Knee Arthroplasty? The Journal of the American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons. 2021;29(14):e714-e721. doi: https://doi.org/10.5435/JAAOS-D-20-00850