The effect of smoking on ligament and cartilage surgery in the knee: a systematic review

Kanneganti P, Harris JD, Brophy RH, et al. · The American Journal of Sports Medicine

Every ligament study, basic-science and clinical, found smoking harmful; the cartilage-surgery literature was thinner but still pointed to an overall negative influence on healing and outcomes.

Population

14 studies (8 ligament, 6 cartilage) of smokers undergoing knee ligament or cartilage surgery

Intervention

Smoking (observed)

Comparator

Non-smokers

Limitations

Included studies observational and heterogeneous; cartilage subset small; publication bias possible.