Conclusion There are many risk factors associated with developing an infection after elective shoulder surgery .
The findings of this systematic review are clinical ly relevant as it has been shown that infection after shoulder surgery results in poor patient-reported outcomes and pose a significant financial burden .
Purpose Infection is a concern after all orthopedic procedures , including shoulder surgery .
This systematic review of literature aim ed to determine risk factors for infection as well as the availability and effectiveness of measures utilized to prevent infection after elective shoulder surgery .
Propionibacterium acnes infection in shoulder arthroscopy patients with postoperative pain.
BACKGROUND Recent studies have identified Propionibacterium acnes as the causal organism in an increasing number of postoperative shoulder infections . Most reports have found a high rate of P acnes infection after open surgery , particularly shoulder arthroplasty . However , there are limited data regarding P acnes infections after shoulder arthroscopy . MATERIAL S AND METHODS We prospect ively collected data on all shoulder arthroscopies performed by the senior author from January 1 , 2009 , until April 1 , 2013 . Cultures were taken in all revision shoulder arthroscopy  cases performed for pain , stiffness , or weakness . In addition , 2 cultures were taken from each of a cohort of 32 primary shoulder arthroscopy cases without concern for infection to determine the false-positive rate . RESULTS A total of 1,591 shoulder arthroscopies were performed during this period , 68 ( 4.3 % ) of which were revision procedures performed for pain , stiffness , or weakness . A total of 20 revision arthroscopies ( 29.4 % ) had positive culture findings , and 16 ( 23.5 % ) were positive for P acnes . In the control group , 1 patient ( 3.2 % ) had P acnes growth . CONCLUSIONS The rate of P acnes infection in patients undergoing revision shoulder arthroscopy  is higher than previously published and should be considered in cases characterized by refractory postoperative pain and stiffness
Conclusion There are many risk factors associated with developing an infection after elective shoulder surgery .
The findings of this systematic review are clinical ly relevant as it has been shown that infection after shoulder surgery results in poor patient-reported outcomes and pose a significant financial burden .
Purpose Infection is a concern after all orthopedic procedures , including shoulder surgery .
This systematic review of literature aim ed to determine risk factors for infection as well as the availability and effectiveness of measures utilized to prevent infection after elective shoulder surgery .