Body mass index greater than 40 does not portend worse outcomes for patients undergoing shoulder arthroplasty

Conflicting data exists surrounding the impact of body mass index (BMI) on total shoulder arthroplasty (TSA) outcomes.

This retrospective study reviewed patients undergoing primary anatomic and reverse TSA with ≥2-year follow-up and completed patient-reported outcome measures (PROMs), including American Shoulder and Elbow Surgeons (ASES) score, Single Assessment Numeric Evaluation (SANE) score, and Visual Analog Scale. PROMs and range of motion (ROM) were analyzed based on BMI and other metabolic factors, including hemoglobin A1C, albumin, low-density lipoprotein, total cholesterol, and vitamin D.

A total of 217 patients were included, with an average follow-up of 34 months. No differences were found in ROM or PROMs at final follow-up, based on categorical BMIs of <30, 30-40, and >40 kg/m². However, BMI > 40 was associated with greater improvements in ASES (P = 0.018) and SANE (P = 0.028) scores. Achievement of ASES minimal clinically important difference was also higher in patients with a higher BMI as a continuous variable (P = 0.019), likely due to lower pre-operative scores. Other metabolic factors were not independently associated with final PROMs.

Obesity, including BMI > 40 kg/m², does not negatively impact perceived and functional improvement following TSA.