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Infection, dislocations identified as common causes of reverse shoulder arthroplasty complications
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SAN DIEGO — A study involving 137 prostheses in 128 patients who underwent reverse shoulder arthroplasty showed an overall complication rate of 20% and 12% reoperation rate. However, study investigators noted that those rates varied by the patient’s pathology.
 Richard J. Hawkins |
“Most complications, it is important to say, were treated successfully,” Richard J. Hawkins, MD, of Greenville, S.C., said at the 2011 Annual Meeting of the American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons, here. Hawkins and his colleagues reviewed the complications of reverse shoulder arthroplasty as they related to the indications for surgery.
The 34 complications Hawkins discussed varied depending on the originally-treated pathology, with 49% of the complications occurring in major revision arthroplasty and proximal humerus malunion or nonunion cases combined, and 14% occurring in cuff tear arthropathy cases.
“Infection was our common complication, dislocation next,” he said.
Propionibacterium acnes was the most common cause of the infection — a problem which has been resolved by altering antibiotic protocols.
Although scapular notching is often reported as a complication of reverse shoulder arthroplasty, Hawkins said that “no scapular notching occurred.”
Reference:
- Hawkins RJ, Clark JC, Song FS. Reverse shoulder arthroplasty: Review of complications according to surgical indication. Paper #89. Presented at the 2011 Annual Meeting of the American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons. Feb. 15-19, 2011. San Diego.
Disclosure: DJO Surgical supported part of the study.
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