Information for Medical Professionals

Shoulder arthroplasty mortality rate is about 3%

The mortality rate within the first 90 days of shoulder arthroplasty in patients with proximal humeral fractures is about three per cent, it has been claimed.

According to new research looking into the dangers of using shoulder arthroplasty to treat proximal humeral fractures, the surgeons behind the paper showed that those with a fracture were six times more likely to need repeat surgery than patients without one.

Lead researcher Eugene Farng told Ortho Supersite: "Serious complications requiring re-admission occur three per cent of the time for elective surgery.

"Fracture and medical comorbidity are all independent predictors of complication, and the type of procedure and hospital volume were not associated with complications."

The study looked at 15,000 sets of patient records, which covered a ten year period between 1995 and 2005.

Some 95 per cent of patients with fractures underwent hemiarthroplasty of the shoulder.

Speaking at the 2010 Annual Meeting of the American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons recently, orthopaedic expert Asheesh Bedi claimed that surgeons should be wary of using prophylaxis as a preventative measure for thromboembolism during shoulder arthroplasty.

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