title: Patient and surgeon characteristics associated with primary anterior cruciate ligament reconstruction graft selection.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  It has been suggested that a surgeon's experience and training are the most important factors associated with graft selection, but no studies have qualified this association. Graft usage prevalence has not been described for large anterior cruciate ligament reconstruction (ACLR) populations in the United States.
  
  
  OBJECTIVE
  To describe the prevalence of graft usage in a large community-based practice and evaluate the association of patient, surgeon, and site characteristics with choice of primary ACLR graft.
  
  
  METHODS
  Cross-sectional study; Level of evidence, 3.
  
  
  METHODS
  Primary ACLRs performed between February 2005 and June 2010 were selected for the study. A community-based ligament registry was used to identify cases and variables used for analysis. Graft choice (any allograft, hamstring autograft, and bone-patellar tendon-bone [BPTB] autograft) was compared by patient characteristics and surgeon and site characteristics. Associations between independent variables and graft choice were evaluated using a polychotomous regression model.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Of the 9849 patients included in the study, 64% were male, and overall median age was 28 years. Of these, 2796 (28.4%) received BPTB autografts, 3013 (30.6%) received hamstring autografts, and 4040 (41.0%) received allografts. The prevalence of graft source by patients' gender, race, age, body mass index (BMI), as well as surgeons' fellowship training status, average volume, and site volume were significantly different (all P < .001). Adjusted models showed that patients' gender (P < .001), race (P = .018), age (P < .001), BMI (P < .001), as well as surgeons' fellowship training status (P < .001), average volume (P < .001), and site volume (P < .001) are associated with graft selection. Older and female patients with lower BMI were more likely to receive allografts and hamstring autografts than BPTB autografts. Cases performed by non-fellowship-trained surgeons, lower volume sites, and/or lower volume surgeons were also more likely to be performed with allografts or hamstring autografts than BPTB autografts.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Gender, age, race, as well as facility and surgeon characteristics such as volume and location are associated with ACL graft choices.
authors: Surgical Outcomes and Analysis Department, Kaiser Permanente, San Diego, CA 92109, USA. maria.cs.inacio@kp.org
authors: Maria C S
authors: MC
authors: Inacio
authors: Elizabeth W
authors: EW
authors: Paxton
authors: Gregory B
authors: GB
authors: Maletis
authors: Rick P
authors: RP
authors: Csintalan
authors: Lars-Petter
authors: LP
authors: Granan
authors: Donald C
authors: DC
authors: Fithian
authors: Tadashi T
authors: TT
authors: Funahashi
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D000367:Age Factors; D000704:Analysis of Variance; D059549:Anterior Cruciate Ligament Reconstruction; D015992:Body Mass Index; D016001:Confidence Intervals; D003430:Cross-Sectional Studies; D004503:Education, Medical, Graduate; D005257:Fellowships and Scholarships; D005260:Female; D013502:General Surgery / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D016017:Odds Ratio; D010818:Practice Patterns, Physicians' / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D012737:Sex Factors; D018709:Statistics, Nonparametric; D055815:Young Adult