Treatment and Outcomes of Reverse Shoulder Arthroplasty Dislocations

Background Dislocation is a challenging complication after reverse shoulder arthroplasty (RSA). We sought to evaluate the outcome of nonoperative and operative management of the dislocation after primary and revision RSA. Methods Between 2006 and 2013, dislocation occurred in 12/1081 primary RSAs (1.1%) and 15/342 revision RSAs (4.4%). Seventeen (69%) shoulders dislocated within 3 months of surgery. Ten (68%) patients underwent revision RSA for prosthetic instability. Mean age was 69 years, and mean follow-up after index RSA was 4 years. Results Closed reduction and bracing achieved a stable shoulder in 60% (3/5 patients) after primary and 20% (1/5 patients) after revision RSA dislocation. Operative management achieved a stable shoulder in 88% (7/8 patients) of primary and 64% (7/11 patients) of revision RSAs ( P = .40). Overall, 9 shoulders (33%) had persistent instability at the final follow-up: 2/12 (17%) primaries versus 7/15 (47%) revisions ( P = .08). Preoperative prosthetic instability was the main risk factor for chronic instability in the revision cohort ( P = .02). Worse functional outcomes were associated with the dislocation of a revision RSA ( P = .02). Conclusion After primary RSA dislocations, closed reduction is successful in half, while revision surgery is successful in 85% of cases. Conversely, closed reduction of a dislocated revision RSA is rarely successful, while revision surgery is successful 65% of the time. Every attempt should be made to achieve stability at the time of primary and revision RSA, since reduction or revision surgery does not guarantee the restoring stability.