Patients who have shoulder replacement operations with surgeons who do over 10 of these operations a year, fare better than other patients, according to new NIHR funded and supported research.
In fact, those who were operated on by high volume surgeons had a 45% lower risk of revision surgery, when compared to the lowest volume surgeons.
Researchers at the University of Oxford analysed 39,281 elective shoulder replacements from 2012 to 2020. The data was taken from the National Joint Registry and Hospital Episode Statistics in England.
The study was published in the British Medical Journal and supported by the NIHR Oxford Biomedical Research Centre and National Joint Registry. It found that patients treated by higher volume surgeons showed:
- A 53% lower risk of reoperation
- A reduction in serious adverse events (40% at 30 days and 37% at 90 days)
- A 62% reduction in the risk of a prolonged hospital stay
Epaminondas Markos Valsamis, NIHR Doctoral Research Fellow and Specialty Registrar in Trauma and Orthopaedics at the Oxford Deanery said: “Improving outcomes and reducing complications after joint replacement surgery is of clear benefit to patients and their families.
“This study offers evidence for local hospitals and national healthcare services that informs workforce and resource planning to ensure the best outcomes for patients undergoing shoulder replacement surgery.”
Find out more about the study in the British Medical Journal.
