Introduction Reverse shoulder arthroplasty (RSA) is becoming increasingly popular as a primary procedure for complex proximal humeral fractures (PHF) in acute trauma due to more emerging evidence and better patient outcomes. Methods This study is a retrospective case series of 51 patients who underwent a trabecular metal RSA for non-reconstructable, acute three or four-part PHF performed by a single surgeon between 2013 and 2019 with a minimum follow-up of three years. This included 44 females and seven males. Mean age was 76 years (range: 61-91 years). Oxford shoulder score (OSS) along with relevant patient information relating to demographics and functional outcomes were collected at regular intervals in outpatient clinic follow-ups. Complications were addressed accordingly during treatment and follow-up. Results The mean follow-up duration was 5.08 years. Two patients were lost to follow-up and nine patients died due to other causes. Four of them had developed severe dementia and were excluded as an outcome score from them could not be acquired. Two patients who had surgery beyond four weeks post-injury were excluded. Thirty-four patients in total were followed up. Patients had good range of motion and mean OSS of 40.28 post-operatively. The overall complication rate was 11.7%, and none of the patients had deep infections, scapular notching, or acromial fractures. Revision rate was 5.8% at mean follow-up of five years and one month (range: three years to nine years two months). Greater tuberosity union following intra-operative repair was evident on radiographs in 61.7% of the patients. Conclusion RSA is certainly a rewarding surgery in patients with complex PHF and was associated with good post-operative OSS along with patient satisfaction, and positive radiological outcomes at minimum three-year follow-up.
Keywords: proximal humeral fracture; reverse shoulder arthoplasty; reverse total shoulder replacement; shoulder fracture dislocation; tuberosity healing.
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