Association between same-day discharge shoulder arthroplasty and risk of adverse events in patients with American Society of Anesthesiologists classification ≥3: a cohort study.

BACKGROUND: Same-day discharge for shoulder arthroplasty (SA) is well-supported in the literature; however, most studies have focused on healthier patients. Indications for same-day discharge SA have expanded to include patients with more comorbidities, but safety of same-day discharge in this population remains unknown. We sought to compare outcomes following same-day discharge vs. inpatient SA in a cohort of patients considered higher risk for adverse events, defined as an American Society of Anesthesiologists (ASA) classification of ≥3. METHODS: Data from Kaiser Permanente's SA registry were utilized to conduct a retrospective cohort study. All patients with an ASA classification of ≥3 who underwent primary elective anatomic or reverse SA in a hospital from 2018 to 2020 were included. The exposure of interest was in-hospital length of stay: same-day discharge vs. ≥1-night hospital inpatient stay. The likelihood of 90-day post-discharge events, including emergency department (ED) visit, readmission, cardiac complication, venous thromboembolism, and mortality, was evaluated using propensity score-weighted logistic regression with noninferiority testing using a margin of 1.10. RESULTS: The cohort included a total of 1814 SA patients, of whom 1005 (55.4%) had same-day discharge. In propensity score-weighted models, same-day discharge was not inferior to an inpatient stay SA regarding 90-day readmission (odds ratio [OR] = 0.64, one-sided 95% upper bound [UB] = 0.89) and overall complications (OR = 0.67, 95% UB = 1.00). We lacked evidence in support of noninferiority for 90-day ED visit (OR = 0.96, 95% UB = 1.18), cardiac event (OR = 0.68, 95% UB = 1.11), or venous thromboembolism (OR = 0.91, 95% UB = 2.15). Infections, revisions for instability, and mortality were too rare to evaluate using regression analysis. CONCLUSIONS: In a cohort of over 1800 patients with an ASA of ≥3, we found same-day discharge SA did not increase the likelihood of ED visits, readmissions, or complications compared with an inpatient stay, and same-day discharge was not inferior to an inpatient stay with regard to readmissions and overall complications. These findings suggest that it is possible to expand indications for same-day discharge SA in the hospital setting.

Postoperative opioid utilization associated with revision risk following primary shoulder arthroplasty.

INTRODUCTION: With a substantial increase in utilization of primary shoulder arthroplasty, it is important to understand risk factors that may signal early failure and need for revision. Recent studies have reported that sustained postoperative opioid use is associated with a higher revision risk after total hip or knee arthroplasty. In this study, we evaluated postoperative opioid utilization as a risk factor for revision after primary shoulder arthroplasty. METHODS: We conducted a cohort study using data from a United States integrated health care system's Shoulder Arthroplasty Registry. Patients who had a primary elective shoulder arthroplasty were identified (2009-2017); those with cancer or who underwent other arthroplasty procedures (either shoulder, hip, or knee) within the preceding year were excluded. Cumulative daily opioid utilization during the first year postoperative, calculated as oral morphine equivalents (OME), was categorized into 3 exposure groups: high user (≥15 mg OME daily), moderate user (<15 mg OME daily), and no opioid use (reference group). The exposure window was stratified into 2 time periods: postoperative days 1-90 and postoperative days 91-360. Multivariable Cox proportional-hazards regression was used to evaluate the association between postoperative opioid use and aseptic revision risk. RESULTS: The final study sample included 8325 shoulder arthroplasty procedures. Of these individuals, 3707 (45%) received some opioid within the 1 year before the index procedure. We failed to observe a difference in aseptic revision risk between opioid utilization in the first 90 days postoperatively, regardless of dose. After the first 90 days, a higher revision risk was observed for high opioid users compared with nonusers (hazard ratio = 1.62, 95% confidence interval = 1.10-2.41), and no association was observed for moderate users (hazard ratio = 1.25, 95% confidence interval = 0.82-1.91). CONCLUSIONS: We found a positive association between opioid consumption and aseptic revision risk after primary shoulder arthroplasty. This study cannot determine if opioids have a direct physiological cause that increases the risk of revision; rather it is likely that opioid consumption is a marker of chronic pain, poor function, and/or poor coping mechanisms. Further study is needed to determine if programs designed to decrease opioid use may impact revision risk after shoulder arthroplasty.

Risk Factors for Opioid Use After Anterior Cruciate Ligament Reconstruction.

BACKGROUND: The misuse of opioid medications has contributed to a significant national crisis affecting public health as well as patient morbidity and medical costs. After orthopaedic surgical procedures, patients may require prescription (Rx) opioid medication, which can fuel the opioid epidemic. Opioid Rx usage after anterior cruciate ligament reconstruction (ACLR) is not well characterized. PURPOSE: To determine baseline utilization of Rx opioids in patients undergoing ACLR and examine demographic, patient, and surgical factors associated with greater and prolonged postoperative opioid utilization. STUDY DESIGN: Cohort study; Level of evidence, 3. METHODS: Primary elective ACLRs were identified using Kaiser Permanente's ACLR registry (2005-2015). We studied the association of perioperative risk factors on the number of dispensed opioid Rx in the early (0-90 days) and late (91-360 days) postoperative recovery periods using logistic regression. RESULTS: Of 21,202 ACLRs, 25.5% used at least 1 opioid Rx in the 1-year preoperative period; 17.7% and 2.7% used ≥2 opioid Rx in the early and late recovery periods, respectively. Risk factors associated with greater opioid Rx in both the early and the late periods included the following: ≥2 preoperative opioid Rx, age ≥20 years, American Society of Anesthesiologists classification ≥3, other activity at the time of injury, chondroplasty, chronic pulmonary disease, and substance abuse. Risk factors associated with opioid Rx use during the early period only included the following: other race, acute injury, meniscal injury repair, multiligament injury, and dementia/psychosis. Risk factors associated with greater opioid Rx during the late period only included the following: 1 preoperative opioid Rx, female sex, body mass index ≥25 kg/m2, motor vehicle accident as the mechanism of injury, and hypertension. CONCLUSION: A quarter of ACLR patients had at least 1 opioid Rx before the procedure, but usage dropped to 2.7% toward the end of the postoperative year. We identified several perioperative risk factors for greater and prolonged opioid usage after ACLR.

Risk factors for postoperative opioid use after elective shoulder arthroplasty.

BACKGROUND: The opioid epidemic remains a serious issue in the United States with significant impact to the medical and socioeconomic welfare of communities. We sought to determine baseline opioid use in patients undergoing shoulder arthroplasty (SA) and identify patient characteristics, comorbidities, and surgical risk factors associated with postoperative opioid use. METHODS: A Shoulder Arthroplasty Registry identified the number of dispensed opioid medication prescriptions (Rxs) in the first postoperative year in patients who underwent elective primary SA from 2008 to 2014. We used Poisson regression to study the effect of preoperative risks factors on number of dispensed opioid Rxs in the first postoperative year, evaluated quarterly (Q1: days 0-90, Q2: days 91-180, Q3: days 181-270, Q4: days 271-360). RESULTS: Included were 4243 SAs from 3996 patients, and 75% used opioids in the 1-year preoperative period. The factors associated with increased opioid use in all postoperative quarters (Q4 incident rate ratio [IRR] shown) were age <60 years (IRR, 1.40; 95% confidence interval [CI], 1.29-1.51), preoperative opioid use (1-4 Rxs: IRR, 2.15; 95% CI, 1.85-2.51; ≥5 Rxs: IRR, 9.83; 95% CI , 8.53-11.32), anxiety (IRR, 1.11; 95% CI, 1.03-1.20), opioid dependence (IRR, 1.23; 95% CI, 1.05-1.43), substance abuse (IRR, 1.17; 95% CI, 1.07-1.28), and general chronic pain (IRR, 1.38; 95% CI, 1.28-1.50). CONCLUSION: Opioid usage in patients undergoing SA is widespread at 1 year, with three-fourths of patients having been dispensed at least one Rx. These findings emphasize the need for surgeon and patient awareness as well as education in the management of postoperative opioid usage associated with the indicated conditions. Surgeons may consider these risk factors for preoperative risk stratification and targeted deployment of preventative strategies.

The stiff shoulder.

Shoulder stiffness is a common but poorly understood disorder of the glenohumeral joint. Many terms are used to describe a stiff shoulder, including frozen shoulder and adhesive capsulitis. This article reviews the terminology, classification, diagnostic options, and management options of shoulder stiffness. Conservative measures,emphasizing a four-quadrant stretching program, typically produce effective treatment outcomes. Operative interventions, which may be required for the small percentage of patients who fail conservative therapy, are also presented.

Shoulder arthroscopy: principles and practice.

Shoulder arthroscopy has an expanding role in the diagnostic and therapeutic management of shoulder disorders. This article describes the principles of shoulder arthroscopy, including basic technique,indications, and complications. The clinical applications to several shoulder pathologies, such as rotator cuff disorders, glenohumeral instability, and biceps anchor superior lesions, ar reviewed.

Anatomical variants in the anterosuperior aspect of the glenoid labrum: a statistical analysis of seventy-three cases.

BACKGROUND: Anterosuperior labral variations of the glenohumeral joint have been previously described and are thought to represent normal anatomical variants without any known clinical importance. The goals of this study were to characterize anterosuperior labral anatomical variations and to determine their prevalence and clinical importance. METHODS: A total of 546 patients who had an arthroscopic procedure in the shoulder were prospectively evaluated for variations of the anterosuperior aspect of the labrum. Structural characteristics of the anatomical variants were noted and recorded intraoperatively. The relationships of these anterosuperior labral variations to demographic data, preoperative symptoms, findings on physical examination, and associated intra-articular abnormalities were analyzed statistically and compared with findings in patients with normal anterosuperior labral anatomy. RESULTS: Three distinct variations of the anterosuperior portion of the labrum were found in seventy-three patients (13.4%): a sublabral foramen only (eighteen patients; 3.3%), a sublabral foramen with a cord-like middle glenohumeral ligament (forty-seven; 8.6%), and an absence of labral tissue at the anterosuperior portion of the labrum with a cord-like middle glenohumeral ligament (eight; 1.5%). In multivariate analysis, the presence of one of these three variations revealed a significant positive association with anterosuperior labral fraying (p = 0.000), an abnormal superior glenohumeral ligament (p = 0.012), and increased passive internal rotation with the arm in 90 degrees of abduction (p = 0.046). These lesions were negatively associated with a painful arc sign and the presence of either a partial or full-thickness supraspinatus tendon tear. Statistical analysis revealed a clinical difference between the cord-like middle glenohumeral ligament variants and the sublabral foramen variant. CONCLUSIONS: Anterosuperior labral variants may influence glenohumeral biomechanics and may predispose the shoulder to other abnormalities. These variants are associated with increased internal rotation, which may predispose the shoulder to lesions of the superior glenohumeral ligament and anterosuperior portion of the labrum. These variations themselves do not appear to contribute to instability.