Conventional Follow-up Versus Mobile App For Post-Operative ACL Reconstruction Patients

Conventional Follow-up Versus Mobile App Home Monitoring For Post-Operative Anterior Cruciate Ligament (ACL) Reconstruction Patients: A Randomized Controlled Trial

Background: Telemedicine is increasingly used to overcome distance between patients and physicians. Preliminary studies suggest that mobile app follow-up care for ACL reconstruction patients is feasible, can avert in-person follow-up care, and is cost-effective.

Objective: To avert in-person follow-up through the use of a mobile app in the first six weeks after surgery.

Methods: This will be a single-center, prospective randomized controlled trial

Results: Data to be analyzed from 72 patients.

Inclusion Criteria:

• Patients undergoing ACL reconstruction at Women's College Hospital (WCH), between the ages of 18-70.
• Patients must be able to use a mobile device and communicate in English.

Exclusion Criteria:

• Patients who are smokers, as they carry increased rates of complications.

• Patients must not:

  • Suffer from chronic pain

  • Be taking narcotic (morphine-like) medication for pain on a regular basis, and

  • Have an allergy to local anesthetics or morphine-like medications

    • Pain scores captured in the VAS and QoR-9 are important for judging post-operative recovery. Pre-existing pain or inability to take narcotics post-operatively would compromise the reliability of these measures.