A common question people ask is, what’s the most common complication after reversal or arthroplasty? With that question, the most common complication is infection.
We go to extreme lengths to prevent that in our practice. The overall national average, I think, is around 3%; we’re less than 1%. Many things we do are use antibiotic scrubs beforehand, antibiotics in surgery, antibiotic powders, etc., antibiotic dressings, perform the surgery through a small incision, and, more importantly, perform the surgery quickly.
The data shows that the longer a surgery takes, the higher the infection rates. It’s no different in the shoulders. We do these in less than 30 minutes, which is really in the top 1% regarding the speed at which these are done.
That radically decreases infection rates and the risk of anesthesia. So if there’s always that risk, we want to get it to zero, but right now, we have to accept that we’re at 1%, which is way better than average.
Ensure the best outcome for your shoulder arthroplasty. See Dr. Kevin Kruse for expert care.