Evidence map›Paper›PMID 33939020›Full record

SynthesisInternational orthopaedics2021

Comparison of open arthrotomy versus arthroscopic surgery for the treatment of septic arthritis in adults: a systematic review and meta-analysis.

Carlos Acosta-Olivo, Félix Vilchez-Cavazos, Jaime Blázquez-Saldaña, Gregorio Villarreal-Villarreal, Victor Peña-Martínez, Mario Simental-Mendía

Open access · bronzeAbstract readMeta-AnalysisSystematic Review
PubMed Publisher
In one paragraph

Synthesis in International orthopaedics, 2021. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 21 papers, 4 of them syntheses that pooled it.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
21citing papers in PubMed, 4 pooled it
6.5field-weighted citation impact, top 2% of its field
1 · What the graph read from it

What it found

Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.

The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.

2 · The registry

The trial behind it

Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.

Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.

3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

21 citing papers in PubMed, 4 syntheses or guidelines pooled it, 45 citations in OpenAlex.

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  12. Impact of septic arthritis on quality of life: arthroscopy vs. arthrotomy.Archives of orthopaedic and trauma surgery · 2025
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  17. Neonatal Septic Arthritis with Acyanotic CHD: A Case Study.Journal of orthopaedic case reports · 2024
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4 · The record

Corrections and comments

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

6 authors at 1 institution in 1 country.

Carlos Acosta-OlivoOrhtopedics and Truamatology Service, University Hospital "Dr. José E. González", Universidad Autonoma de Nuevo Leon, Fco. I. Madero and José Eleuterio González, 64460, Monterrey, México.ORCID 0000-0002-2025-1865
Félix Vilchez-CavazosOrhtopedics and Truamatology Service, University Hospital "Dr. José E. González", Universidad Autonoma de Nuevo Leon, Fco. I. Madero and José Eleuterio González, 64460, Monterrey, México.ORCID 0000-0001-9540-3379
Jaime Blázquez-SaldañaOrhtopedics and Truamatology Service, University Hospital "Dr. José E. González", Universidad Autonoma de Nuevo Leon, Fco. I. Madero and José Eleuterio González, 64460, Monterrey, México.ORCID 0000-0002-0443-7520
Gregorio Villarreal-VillarrealOrhtopedics and Truamatology Service, University Hospital "Dr. José E. González", Universidad Autonoma de Nuevo Leon, Fco. I. Madero and José Eleuterio González, 64460, Monterrey, México.ORCID 0000-0001-9712-8227
Victor Peña-MartínezOrhtopedics and Truamatology Service, University Hospital "Dr. José E. González", Universidad Autonoma de Nuevo Leon, Fco. I. Madero and José Eleuterio González, 64460, Monterrey, México.ORCID 0000-0003-2924-1329
Mario Simental-MendíaOrhtopedics and Truamatology Service, University Hospital "Dr. José E. González", Universidad Autonoma de Nuevo Leon, Fco. I. Madero and José Eleuterio González, 64460, Monterrey, México. mario.simentalme@uanl.edu.mx.ORCID 0000-0002-7179-494X
Universidad Autónoma de Nuevo León · MX

Funding

No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.

6 · The paper itself

Abstract

purposeTo evaluate the efficacy of arthrotomy, when compared with arthroscopy, in the treatment of adults with septic arthritis of any joint.

methodsMEDLINE, EMBASE, and Scopus were searched to identify studies comparing arthrotomy and arthroscopy as therapeutic approaches in patients with septic arthritis of any joint. The main outcome was the re-infection rate. A meta-analysis was performed using the generic inverse variance method with random or fixed effects model depending on heterogeneity between studies. Heterogeneity was tested with the I

resultsTwenty studies with 10,249 patients treated by arthrotomy or arthroscopy were evaluated. We observed a significant lower risk of re-infection (odds ratio [OR], 1.35 [95% CI, 1.16-1.58]; p = 0.0002) and complications (OR, 1.32 [95% CI, 1.12-1.55]; p = 0.001) rate as well as less hospital stay (mean difference [MD], 0.57 days [95% CI, 0.10-1.05]; p = 0.02) favouring arthroscopic intervention. The subanalysis indicated that patients with knee (OR, 1.50 [95% CI, 1.17-1.92]; p = 0.001) and shoulder (OR, 1.24 [95% CI, 1.00-1.53]; p = 0.04) septic arthritis intervened by arthrotomy had a higher risk of re-infection. A lower number of hospitalization days (MD, 0.89 days [95% CI, 0.31-1.47]; p = 0.003) and a lower risk for complications (OR, 1.26 [95% CI, 1.04-1.52]; p = 0.02) were observed in patients treated with arthroscopy after septic knee arthritis.

conclusionsAvailable evidence suggests that patients with septic arthritis of the knee and shoulder treated by arthroscopy have less risk of re-infection than those treated by arthrotomy. The quality of the body of evidence is still insufficient to reach reliable conclusions. PROSPERO TRIAL REGISTRATION NUMBER: CRD42020176044. Date registration: April 28, 2020.

Indexed as

Arthritis, InfectiousArthroscopyAdultDebridementHumansKnee JointRetrospective StudiesArthroscopyArthrotomyKneeSeptic arthritisShoulder

Identifiers

PMID33939020
OpenAlexW3157850548

What OpenQuestion holds

Textmetadata
Read underepoch 390

Registered trials

None linked

Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.