Study Finds Tobacco Use Associated With Higher Risk of Surgical Site Infection, But Not Marijuana

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A newly published study has found that tobacco use is linked to a significantly higher risk of developing surgical site infections (SSIs) after orthopedic surgery, whereas marijuana use does not increase the risk.

Published in Psychological Trauma and conducted by researchers from the University of California San Diego and Loma Linda University Health, the retrospective cohort study investigated whether smoking marijuana raises the likelihood of SSIs following open reduction and internal fixation (ORIF) of fractures. The research focused on 4,802 adult patients treated for closed fractures at a Level 1 trauma center in Southern California between January 2009 and December 2021.

The study revealed that 24% of the patients were current marijuana users, while the rest did not use marijuana. During the follow-up period of at least six months, 75 patients (1.6%) developed surgical site infections. Multivariate analysis showed that factors such as longer operative times (OR 1.002), diabetic status (OR 2.084), and current tobacco use (OR 2.493) were all linked to a higher risk of infection. However, marijuana use was not found to be associated with an increased risk of SSI (OR 0.678, P = 0.48).

The researchers concludes by saying “Tobacco use, diabetes, and longer operative times were associated with the development of SSI after open reduction and internal fixation of fractures; however, marijuana smoking was not shown to be associated with the development of SSI.”

Click here for more information on this study.

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