Low Rate of Serious Adverse Events Linked to Shoulder Surgery

THURSDAY, July 14, 2022 (HealthDay News) -- The risk for serious adverse events associated with common shoulder arthroscopy procedures is low, according to a study published online July 6 in The BMJ.

Jonathan L. Rees, M.B.B.S., from the University of Oxford in the United Kingdom, and colleagues conducted a population-based cohort study involving 288,250 arthroscopic shoulder procedures performed in 261,248 patients aged 16 years and older between April 1, 2009, and March 31, 2017.

The researchers found that the overall rate of complications within 90 days after arthroscopic shoulder surgery, including reoperation, was 1.2 percent, with one in 81 patients at risk, and ranged by type of procedure from 0.6 to 1.7 percent for glenohumeral stabilization and frozen shoulder release, respectively. No effect of procedure type was seen after adjustment for age, comorbidities, and sex. The most common adverse event was pneumonia (0.3 percent), with one in 303 patients at risk. Pulmonary embolic events occurred in 0.1 percent, with one in 1,428 patients at risk. The overall rate for reoperation was 3.8 percent at one year, with one in 26 patients at risk, which varied from 2.7 to 5.7 percent for glenohumeral stabilization and frozen shoulder release, respectively. The number of arthroscopic procedures increased during the study period, apart from subacromial decompression, which decreased.

"As the numbers of other arthroscopic shoulder procedures continue to increase, this study provides real-world generalizable estimates of serious adverse events and reoperation rates that should better inform surgeons and patients," the authors write.

Several authors disclosed financial ties to the biopharmaceutical industry; one author has a patent issued.

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