Surgical repair of acute Achilles tendon ruptures: a follow-up of 639 consecutive cases

Most studies on acute Achilles tendon rupture (AATR) and its treatment contain only a small number of patients, and due to selection criteria, older patients and those with comorbidities are typically excluded. Therefore, little is known about true complication rates in an unselected population reflecting the situation in an ordinary orthopedic department. Patient files of 639 consecutive Achilles tendon repairs in 631 patients with AATR between February 1998 and December 2005 were reviewed, and all complications from the day of surgery until December 2011 were identified using the hospital’s patient records and the Swedish national registry. Twenty-five (3.9%) re-operations were done, out of which 22 were due to a re-rupture. Fifty-one (8.6%) cases were of deep vein thrombosis (DVT), no difference between patients given versus patients not given thromboprophylaxis. Nineteen (3.0%) cases were of surgical site infection (SSI), all of which resolved upon oral antibiotics. Surgical repair of acute Achilles tendon rupture was associated with a low risk for re-operations, but the risk for deep vein thrombosis was considerable, despite the use of prophylaxis.