Shoulder arthroplasty in morbidly obese patients

Background rpose of this study was to determine the results, complications, and failure rates of shoulder arthroplasty in morbidly obese patients. s n 1994 and 2005, 45 shoulder arthroplasties were performed for osteoarthritis in patients with a BMI greater than 40. Forty-one shoulders were followed for a minimum of 2 years (mean, 55 months) or until revision. s er arthroplasty in morbidly obese patients was associated with improvement in pain and range of motion (P ≤ .001). Average operative time was 220 minutes (range, 152-337). Four required anteromedial approaches. There was 1 intraoperative humeral shaft fracture and 2 small anterior deltoid avulsions. Five patients required overnight ICU monitoring. Average length of stay was 3.1 nights (range, 2-5). One shoulder developed a superficial infection while 1 patient had wound healing difficulty. Five shoulders underwent revision arthroplasty: 2 deep periprosthetic infections, 1 hemiarthroplasty for glenoid arthritis, 1 for posterior instability, and 1 for glenoid loosening. The Kaplan-Meier estimate for survival free of revision was 92.1% at 5 years. sions er arthroplasty in the morbidly obese is associated with long-term improvement in pain and function. However, the intraoperative and postoperative care of these patients is more complex, and these patients seem to have a higher rate of unsatisfactory results. of evidence 4; Case series, treatment study.