Reverse total shoulder arthroplasty in wheelchair-dependent patients

• Published in: Journal of shoulder and elbow surgery Vol. 25; no. 7; pp. 1138 - 1145
• Main Authors: Kemp, Adam L., BS, King, Joseph J., MD, Farmer, Kevin W., MD, Wright, Thomas W., MD
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: United States Elsevier Inc 01.07.2016
• Subjects: Aged; Aged, 80 and over; Arthritis - surgery; Arthroplasty, Replacement, Shoulder - adverse effects; Female; Humans; lower extremity impairment; Male; Middle Aged; Mobility Limitation; Orthopedics; paraplegia; Patient Satisfaction; Periprosthetic Fractures - etiology; Postoperative Complications - etiology; Prosthesis Failure - etiology; Radiography; Range of Motion, Articular; reverse shoulder arthroplasty; Rotation; Rotator Cuff Injuries - surgery; RTSA; Shoulder Dislocation - etiology; Shoulder Joint - diagnostic imaging; Shoulder Joint - physiopathology; Shoulder Joint - surgery; Shoulder Pain - surgery; Shoulder Prosthesis - adverse effects; Treatment Outcome; Wheelchairs; Level IV; reverse shoulder arthroplasty; paraplegia; Treatment study; lower extremity impairment; RTSA; Case series
• ISSN: 1058-2746; 1532-6500
• DOI: 10.1016/j.jse.2015.11.006

Background Wheelchair-dependent patients have a high incidence of shoulder pathology, often causing severe impairment. This study reports outcomes of wheelchair-dependent lower extremity–impaired patients with symptomatic shoulder arthritis or severe rotator cuff pathology treated with reverse total shoulder arthroplasty (RTSA). Methods Data for 19 wheelchair-dependent patients who had an RTSA for symptomatic arthritis or rotator cuff pathology, or both, were obtained from the University of Florida Shoulder Arthroplasty Database. Included were 16 of 19 shoulders with adequate follow-up averaging 40 months. Functional outcome scores included the Simple Shoulder Test, University of California Los Angeles Shoulder Rating Scale, Shoulder Pain and Disability Index, American Shoulder and Elbow Surgeons score, Constant score, and 12-item Short Form (SF-12) health survey. Objective measures were active elevation, external rotation, and internal rotation. Radiographs were evaluated for lucent lines, notching, and prosthetic loosening. Results All measured parameters, except the SF-12, significantly improved at the final follow-up. Functional outcome scores included Shoulder Pain and Disability Index, 45; Simple Shoulder Test, 7; American Shoulder and Elbow Surgeons, 73; University of California Los Angeles Shoulder Rating Scale, 30; Constant, 70; and SF-12, 33. Active elevation was 112°, and active external rotation was 29°. Most patients (83%) were satisfied. The complication rate was 25%; baseplate failure and dislocation occurred early, and periprosthetic humeral fracture secondary to infection occurred late. The notching rate was 42%. Conclusions Shoulder pain and dysfunction due to arthritis and rotator cuff pathology can result in the loss of independence in wheelchair-dependent patients. We investigated whether RTSA can sustain the increased loads placed by these patients during transfers. Wheelchair-dependent patients can benefit from an RTSA for shoulder pain and dysfunction but must accept worsened impairment during the immediate postoperative period and a higher complication rate than the general population treated with an RTSA.