Werner BC, et al. - This national level analysis used an administrative database to establish the rate of postoperative infection after open carpal tunnel release (CTR) as well as to define relevant patient-related risk factors associated with its occurrence. This inquiry identified numerous patient-related risk factors that were independently related to an increased risk of postoperative infection, including younger age, male sex, obesity (body mass index of 30 to 40), morbid obesity (body mass index greater than 40), tobacco use, alcohol use, and comorbidities including diabetes, inflammatory arthritis, peripheral vascular disease, chronic liver disease, chronic kidney disease, chronic lung disease, and depression. Furthermore, findings strengthened conventional wisdom pertaining to the overall low infection rate after CTR.