Shoulder arthroplasty in Germany: 2005-2012.

Area of Science:

• Orthopedic surgery
• Medical device development
• Health services research

Background:

• Shoulder endoprosthetics have rapidly advanced.
• Understanding trends in shoulder arthroplasty is crucial for healthcare planning.
• The study focuses on the German market from 2005-2012.

Purpose of the Study:

• To provide an overview of shoulder arthroplasty development in Germany (2005-2012).
• To test the hypothesis that shoulder joint surgeries are still increasing and have not plateaued.
• To analyze trends in different types of shoulder endoprostheses.

Main Methods:

• Analysis of data from the German Federal Statistical Office (2005-2012).
• Quantification of hemiarthroplasty, anatomic total shoulder, and reversed total shoulder arthroplasty rates.
• Evaluation based on age, gender, and primary coded indications, with comparative analyses.

Main Results:

• 139,272 shoulder arthroplasties were performed between 2005 and 2012.
• Total shoulder arthroplasties increased continuously until 2009, surpassing hemiarthroplasties.
• Women underwent 3-fold more procedures than men, except for males under 60.

Conclusions:

• Shoulder arthroplasties showed a continuous increase in Germany from 2005-2012.
• Hemiarthroplasty rates slightly decreased from 2009-2012, while total and reversed arthroplasties increased.
• Gender disparities in procedure rates were observed, with younger males being an exception.