ArticleCureus2026
Association of Cigarette Smoking With Pulmonary Embolism and Healthcare Utilization Following Hip and Knee Versus Shoulder Arthroscopy.
Article in Cureus, 2026. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Not yet cited in PubMed.
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.
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.
Who cites it
0 citing papers in PubMed.
No citing paper in PubMed yet.
Corrections and comments
PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.
Authors and funding
8 authors.
Funding
No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.
Abstract
backgroundCigarette smoking is a well-established risk factor for adverse surgical outcomes due to its prothrombotic, inflammatory, and cardiopulmonary effects. However, its impact on short-term complications following arthroscopic surgery remains poorly defined. The purpose of the study is to evaluate the association between cigarette smoking and 90-day postoperative complications after shoulder, hip, and knee arthroscopic procedures.
methodsUsing a multicenter database, TriNetX, patients undergoing arthroscopic shoulder, hip, or knee procedures were retrospectively identified. Smokers were propensity score-matched 1:1 to nonsmoking controls by age, sex, comorbidities, and type of arthroscopic procedure. Ninety-day rates of venous thromboembolism (VTE), deep vein thrombosis (DVT), pulmonary embolism (PE), emergency department (ED) visits, hospital readmissions, postoperative infection, and wound dehiscence were compared between smokers and nonsmokers. Risk ratios (RRs) with 95% confidence intervals (CIs) were calculated.
resultsAmong 18,948 shoulder arthroscopy patients, smoking was not associated with increased risk of VTE (RR, 1.086; 95% CI, 0.687-1.717; p = 0.815), DVT (RR, 1.037; 95% CI, 0.612-1.758; p = 1.000), or PE (RR, 1.000; 95% CI, 0.464-2.156; p = 1.000). Smokers demonstrated higher ED utilization (RR, 1.627; 95% CI, 1.435-1.844; p < 0.001), but no significant differences in readmission, infection, or wound complications. Among 24,196 hip/knee arthroscopy patients, smoking was not associated with overall VTE risk (RR, 1.103; 95% CI, 0.839-1.450; p = 0.527) or DVT (RR, 0.989; 95% CI, 0.737-1.326; p = 1.000), but was linked to an increased risk of PE (RR, 1.938; 95% CI, 1.060-3.540; p = 0.041). Cigarette smoking was further associated with higher ED visits (RR, 1.775; p < 0.001), readmissions (RR, 2.250; p < 0.001), and postoperative infections (RR, 1.525; p = 0.046) for knee and hip arthroscopy patients.
conclusionCigarette smoking was not associated with increased overall VTE risk after shoulder arthroscopy but was linked to higher ED utilization. In lower extremity arthroscopy, smokers demonstrated an association with increased risk of PE, healthcare utilization, and infection. These findings highlight the need for targeted perioperative counseling and risk reduction strategies in patients who smoke undergoing arthroscopy.
Indexed as
Identifiers
What OpenQuestion holds
Registered trials
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.