Drains Are Not Beneficial in Primary Shoulder Arthroplasty

The purpose of this study was to determine if clinical differences exist between closed drainage use in primary shoulder arthroplasty and postoperative complications. A retrospective review was performed of all primary total shoulder and reverse total shoulder arthroplasty procedures at the authors' institution during a 2-year period. A total of 378 of 636 shoulder arthroplasty patients met inclusion criteria. Drains were used in 111 patients. The authors did not identify a significant relationship between drain use and postoperative complications. When complications were stratified just by the presence or absence of risk factors, irrespective of whether a drain was used, no significant relationship was identified. This study does not support the routine use of closed drainage systems in primary shoulder arthroplasty, including for patients with risk factors for potentially developing postoperative complications. [Orthopedics. 2019; 42(1):e29-e31.].