The success rate ofshoulder surgeryis very high, however, there are possible complications, the most concerning being an infection.
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Why Infections Occur
Risk factors that can predispose you to shoulder infections after surgery include:
Sometimes, incisions for shoulder surgery are located very near to the axilla (armpit). The axilla is the location of manysebaceous glandsand hair follicles that create an environment that fosters bacterial growth.
Preventing Infections
Shoulder surgery is a treatment used for conditions ranging fromshoulder arthritistorotator cuff tears. These procedures can be done as minimally invasivearthroscopic surgeriesor as more traditional open surgeries with larger incisions.
Several steps can be taken to help prevent a shoulder infection after surgery:
While your wound is healing after surgery, it’s important to keep it clean and to follow instructions aboutwound care and dressing changes.
Is It an Infection?
Anyone who has shoulder surgery can be expected to have some discomfort and swelling around the shoulder—which are also common signs of infection.
Signs of infection include:
If you develop any of these signs, you should let your surgeon know right away. Early diagnosis and treatment will prevent progression and lead to a better outcome.
Your surgeon might order additional tests, such as blood tests, which can show signs of an infection, like elevated white blood cells. If your incision is draining, the fluid from the wound can be examined to identify infectious organisms. However, this isn’t usually done since it leads to many false positives (results saying there is an infection when there isn’t).
If your incision is sealed, your healthcare provider may place a needle into the deeper layers of your shoulder to obtain a sample of fluid for analysis.
Treatment of Infection
Treatments strategies include oral or IV antibiotics and additional surgical procedures to clean the joint. In general, more superficial (closer to the skin) infections can be managed with antibiotics.
Because the shoulder joint space has limited immune defenses, once the infection enters the ball-and-socket joint space, infections can become persistent. Deeper infections, especially those that enter the joint space of the shoulder, are more likely to require additional surgery and prolonged intravenous antibiotics.
The areas around surgical implants, such as anchors, plates, or prosthetic replacements, can become infected. Infections associated with implants can be severe and may require intense treatment. Sometimes persistent infections necessitate the removal of implanted material.
Rare but Serious
Shoulder infections are uncommoncomplications of shoulder surgery. Prevention of postsurgical infections involves steps that begin during pre-operative preparation, as well as infection prevention strategies during and after surgery. If you have any signs of an infection, early diagnosis and prompt treatment are ideal.
4 SourcesVerywell Health uses only high-quality sources, including peer-reviewed studies, to support the facts within our articles. Read oureditorial processto learn more about how we fact-check and keep our content accurate, reliable, and trustworthy.UW Medicine Orthopaedics and Sports Medicine.Arthroscopic shoulder surgery for the treatment of rotator cuff tears.Shin JJ, Popchak AJ, Musahl V, Irrgang JJ, Lin A.Complications after arthroscopic shoulder surgery: A review of the American Board of Orthopaedic Surgery Database.J Am Acad Orthop Surg Glob Res Rev. 2018;2(12):e093. doi:10.5435/JAAOSGlobal-D-18-00093Atesok K, Macdonald P, Leiter J, Mcrae S, Stranges G, Old J.Postoperative deep shoulder infections following rotator cuff repair.World Journal of Orthopedics. 2017;8(8):612. doi:10.5312/wjo.v8.i8.612Shah MQ, Zardad MS, Khan A, Ahmed S, Awan AS, Mohammad T.Surgical site infection in orthopaedic implants and its common bacteria with their sensitivities to antibiotics, in open reduction internal fixation.J Ayub Med Coll Abbottabad. 2017;29(1):50-53.Additional ReadingSaltzman MD, Marecek GS, Edwards SL, Kalainov DM. “Infection after shoulder surgery” J Am Acad Orthop Surg. 2011 Apr;19(4):208-18.
4 Sources
Verywell Health uses only high-quality sources, including peer-reviewed studies, to support the facts within our articles. Read oureditorial processto learn more about how we fact-check and keep our content accurate, reliable, and trustworthy.UW Medicine Orthopaedics and Sports Medicine.Arthroscopic shoulder surgery for the treatment of rotator cuff tears.Shin JJ, Popchak AJ, Musahl V, Irrgang JJ, Lin A.Complications after arthroscopic shoulder surgery: A review of the American Board of Orthopaedic Surgery Database.J Am Acad Orthop Surg Glob Res Rev. 2018;2(12):e093. doi:10.5435/JAAOSGlobal-D-18-00093Atesok K, Macdonald P, Leiter J, Mcrae S, Stranges G, Old J.Postoperative deep shoulder infections following rotator cuff repair.World Journal of Orthopedics. 2017;8(8):612. doi:10.5312/wjo.v8.i8.612Shah MQ, Zardad MS, Khan A, Ahmed S, Awan AS, Mohammad T.Surgical site infection in orthopaedic implants and its common bacteria with their sensitivities to antibiotics, in open reduction internal fixation.J Ayub Med Coll Abbottabad. 2017;29(1):50-53.Additional ReadingSaltzman MD, Marecek GS, Edwards SL, Kalainov DM. “Infection after shoulder surgery” J Am Acad Orthop Surg. 2011 Apr;19(4):208-18.
Verywell Health uses only high-quality sources, including peer-reviewed studies, to support the facts within our articles. Read oureditorial processto learn more about how we fact-check and keep our content accurate, reliable, and trustworthy.
UW Medicine Orthopaedics and Sports Medicine.Arthroscopic shoulder surgery for the treatment of rotator cuff tears.Shin JJ, Popchak AJ, Musahl V, Irrgang JJ, Lin A.Complications after arthroscopic shoulder surgery: A review of the American Board of Orthopaedic Surgery Database.J Am Acad Orthop Surg Glob Res Rev. 2018;2(12):e093. doi:10.5435/JAAOSGlobal-D-18-00093Atesok K, Macdonald P, Leiter J, Mcrae S, Stranges G, Old J.Postoperative deep shoulder infections following rotator cuff repair.World Journal of Orthopedics. 2017;8(8):612. doi:10.5312/wjo.v8.i8.612Shah MQ, Zardad MS, Khan A, Ahmed S, Awan AS, Mohammad T.Surgical site infection in orthopaedic implants and its common bacteria with their sensitivities to antibiotics, in open reduction internal fixation.J Ayub Med Coll Abbottabad. 2017;29(1):50-53.
UW Medicine Orthopaedics and Sports Medicine.Arthroscopic shoulder surgery for the treatment of rotator cuff tears.
Shin JJ, Popchak AJ, Musahl V, Irrgang JJ, Lin A.Complications after arthroscopic shoulder surgery: A review of the American Board of Orthopaedic Surgery Database.J Am Acad Orthop Surg Glob Res Rev. 2018;2(12):e093. doi:10.5435/JAAOSGlobal-D-18-00093
Atesok K, Macdonald P, Leiter J, Mcrae S, Stranges G, Old J.Postoperative deep shoulder infections following rotator cuff repair.World Journal of Orthopedics. 2017;8(8):612. doi:10.5312/wjo.v8.i8.612
Shah MQ, Zardad MS, Khan A, Ahmed S, Awan AS, Mohammad T.Surgical site infection in orthopaedic implants and its common bacteria with their sensitivities to antibiotics, in open reduction internal fixation.J Ayub Med Coll Abbottabad. 2017;29(1):50-53.
Saltzman MD, Marecek GS, Edwards SL, Kalainov DM. “Infection after shoulder surgery” J Am Acad Orthop Surg. 2011 Apr;19(4):208-18.
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