HSS Surgeon: Shoulder Arthroplasty And Reverses On The Uptick

Orthopedics This Week—December 15, 2014

Within the orthopedic world, shoulders are the superstars these days. According to new research, the use of shoulder arthroplasty is on the rise, as is the changeover to treating many complex fractures with reverse replacements instead of hemiarthroplasty.

Edward Craig, M.D., M.P.H. is an attending surgeon at Hospital for Special Surgery (HSS). “We are seeing an increase in shoulder arthroplasty relative to other large joints because of better technology, more widespread surgeon education, and more predictable and durable implants.”

Dr. Craig, who has co-designed an anatomic shoulder and a reverse prosthesis, says, “The surgical use of reverse prosthesis seems to be increasing both for arthritis and fractures; in the early years of reverse shoulder arthroplasty the reported complication rate was higher than the anatomic shoulder and thus warranted appropriate caution and careful patient selection. But as surgeons have learned more and as implant technology and instrumentation have improved and become more predictable, the complication rates have fallen. The reverse has not had as long of a track record as the anatomic design, however, so we must continue to monitor it closely for several years.”

Read the full story at ryortho.com.