Septic arthritis following anterior cruciate ligament reconstruction using tendon allografts--Florida and Louisiana, 2000.

In the United States, approximately 50,000 knee surgeries are performed each year for repairing anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) injuries. Tissue allografts frequently are used for ACL reconstruction, and septic arthritis is a rare complication of such procedures. This report describes four patients who acquired postsurgical septic arthritis probably associated with contaminated bone-tendon-bone allografts used for ACL reconstruction. Effective sterilization methods that do not functionally alter musculoskeletal tissue are needed to prevent allograft-related infections.