Shoulder arthroplasty in patients with immunosuppression following solid organ transplantation

The purpose was to determine the risk and outcomes of primary shoulder arthroplasties in patients with immunosuppression who had undergone solid organ transplantation.

Using a single institution's total joint registry, we reviewed 30 primary shoulder arthroplasties in 25 post-transplantation patients, including 12 total shoulder arthroplasties, 10 hemiarthroplasties, and 8 reverse shoulder arthroplasties, between 1985 and 2012. Therapy and patient variables were recorded, including immunosuppressive therapy protocols, the date of preceding solid organ transplantation, and specific medications taken in the perioperative period. We matched a cohort of control patients for age, sex, type of implant, and year of surgery at a ratio of 4:1. Two groups were compared regarding mortality risk, complications, and clinical outcomes (pain score, range of motion, and American Shoulder and Elbow Surgeons score).

No periprosthetic infections occurred in the post-transplantation group at a mean follow-up of 39 months. However, the post-transplantation group showed an increased risk of periprosthetic fractures compared with the control group (hazard ratio, 8.18; 95% confidence interval, 1.22-70.98; P = .03). Despite the increase in fractures, the overall number of complications did not differ between the groups. Furthermore, postoperative shoulder function and outcome scores were not significantly different between patients who had a prior transplant and those who did not.

Primary shoulder arthroplasty in patients with immunosuppression who underwent solid organ transplantation is a successful procedure to treat glenohumeral arthritis. In contrast, there may be an increased risk of periprosthetic fractures in patients with a history of a solid organ transplant.