Intra-articular drain versus no drain after arthroscopic anterior cruciate ligament reconstruction: A prospective comparative study

Abstract

Objectives: The purpose of this study was to evaluate whether the use of an intra-articular drain the following arthroscopic anterior cruciate ligament reconstruction (ACLR) would have benefits in terms of post-operative range of motion, pain, and swelling as compared to the use of no drain. Materials and Methods: This was a prospective comparative study conducted at the Department of Orthopedics, Baidya and Banskota (B&B) Hospital over a period of 11 months from August 15, 2021, to July 15, 2022. One hundred and fifteen patients who underwent ACLR with or without meniscal procedures were randomly assigned to two groups. Group A (55 patients) where the drain was used and Group B (60 patients) where the drain was not used. Patients were evaluated on day 3 and day 14 and post-operative outcome in terms of flexion loss, extension loss, Visual Analogue Scale (VAS) score, and suprapatellar girth was compared between these two groups. Results: No significant difference in flexion loss, extension loss, suprapatellar girth, and VAS score was observed between these two groups both on day 3 and day 14. Conclusion: We concluded that routine use of intra-articular drain is not necessary for arthroscopic ACLR.