Infection rates with use of intra-articular pain catheters in total knee arthroplasty

Background: Intra-articular pain catheters effectively reduce postoperative pain in total knee arthroplasty (TKA) by delivering analgesia to the surgical site. However, concerns exist regarding the potential for increasing deep infections. This study tested the hypothesis that intra-articular pain catheters in TKA increase the rate of deep surgical site infections. Methods: A retrospective analysis of 1915 patients undergoing primary TKA between January 2008 and December 2013 was undertaken, comparing infection rates between patients with intra-articular catheters inserted and those without. Results: Deep infection rate was 0.53% with intra-articular pain catheters, compared with 0.77% when the catheters were not inserted. There was no statistically significant difference between the groups (P=0.56). Conclusion: Intra-articular pain catheters in TKA did not increase the rate of deep infection.