 ACL reconstruction surgery helps many young athletes recover without incident, but for those who develop an infection, recovery can be especially difficult, both physically and mentally. These athletes are among the nearly one percent of all people who develop an infection after ACL reconstruction. While the personal cost of infection can be difficult to define, the economic cost is more clear. A new study reported in the American Journal of Sports Medicine examines the healthcare cost of treating infection after ACL reconstruction in three different countries. Their findings suggest while infection can't always be prevented, pre-soaking ACL surgical grafts and antibiotics could lead to significant cost savings. Using data from Australia, Spain, and the U.S., researchers compare two methods of preventing infections following ACL reconstruction surgery. Pre-soaking grafts in the antibiotic vancomycin and providing antibiotics intravenously and providing intravenous antibiotics alone, which is the usual method of care. The team developed a mathematical model for measuring the cost effectiveness and incremental cost effectiveness of vancomycin soaking versus usual care. Results showed that the vancomycin technique provides an expected cost savings of 660 U.S. dollars per patient, which translates to 581 AUD and 226 euros. The researchers also calculated that for vancomycin soaking to no longer be cost effective, the infection rate with intravenous antibiotics alone would have to dip as low as between 14 and 23 thousandths of a percent. Rates are commonly 10 to 50 times higher. While these calculations don't capture the mental and physical cost of infection, they do speak to the direct cost incurred by patients and healthcare systems. Vancomycin soaking as a preventative intervention could greatly benefit both as patients recover from ACL reconstruction surgery.