Delay to Arthroscopic Rotator Cuff Repair Is Associated With Increased Risk of Revision Rotator Cuff Surgery

The purpose of this study was to determine the association between time from the diagnosis of rotator cuff tear to repair and the rate of subsequent revision surgery for re-tear. A national insurance database was queried from 2007 to 2016 for patients who underwent arthroscopic rotator cuff repair after a diagnosis of rotator cuff tear with minimum 5-year follow-up. On the basis of time from diagnosis to repair, patients were stratified into an early (<6 weeks), a routine (between 6 weeks and 12 months), or a delayed (>12 months) repair cohort. The rates of subsequent revision rotator cuff repair were compared pairwise between cohorts with Pearson's chi-square tests. Multivariate logistic regression was used to adjust for patient demographics and comorbidity burden. A total of 2759 patients were included, with 1510 (54.7%) undergoing early repair, 1104 (40.0%) undergoing routine repair, and 145 (5.3%) having delayed repair. The overall revision rate at 5-year follow-up was 9.6%. The revision rate was higher in the delayed group (15.2%) relative to the early (9.9%) and routine (8.3%) groups (P=.048 and P=.007, respectively). On multivariate analysis, delayed repair was associated with increased odds of revision surgery (odds ratio, 1.97; P=.009) compared with routine repair. Delayed rotator cuff repair beyond 12 months of diagnosis was associated with an increased risk of undergoing subsequent revision rotator cuff repair while controlling for age and comorbidity burden.