Revision Surgery Common Among Middle-Aged Men with Shoulder Replacement

By Kelly Young

Edited by Jaye Elizabeth Hefner, MD

Men in their 50s have a higher-than-expected rate of revision surgery following shoulder replacement, a study in The BMJ finds.

Using National Health Service databases, U.K. researchers identified 58,000 primary elective shoulder replacement procedures in patients aged 50 and older.

The lifetime risk for revision surgery was particularly high for the youngest patients — as high as 1 in 4 for men aged 55 to 59. Revision risk declined with age, reaching 1 in 37 for women aged 85 and older. Revision rates were highest in the first 5 years following surgery.

The overall rate of serious adverse events was 3.5% at 30 days, with older adults experiencing the highest risk.

The authors conclude: "Our findings caution against unchecked expansion of shoulder replacement surgery in both younger and older patients. The more accurate age and sex specific estimates of risk from this study are long overdue and should improve shared decision making between patients and clinicians."