I recently had the opportunity to speak at the Asia Pacific Orthopaedic Association Conference in Cairns on shoulder joint replacement surgery in patients under 55 years old.
Shoulder replacement prostheses are mechanical systems and like all mechanical systems, they will eventually wear out and may require revision. Thanks to the Australian Orthopaedic Association National Joint Replacement Registry (AOA NJRR), we now have 14-year outcome data for all shoulder replacements performed in Australia.
At 14 years:- 82.6% of Stemmed Anatomic Total Shoulder Replacements are still functioning without revision.
- 93.2% of reverse total shoulder replacements remain intact.
- Stemless Anatomic Total Shoulder Replacements are also showing excellent durability.
It's reasonable to inform patients that the majority of shoulder replacements performed today should last up to 20 years. However, data for patients younger than 55 remains limited. Encouragingly, in this younger group, reverse total shoulder replacements and stemless anatomic total shoulder replacements are currently performing better than other options.
Grateful to share insights and continue advancing care for younger patients considering shoulder replacement surgery.