Most shoulder replacement surgeries in the US are done by surgeons who perform fewer than 120 cases yearly. Patrick Denard explains that high-volume surgeons, who do 120 to 300 replacements annually, have lower complication rates and faster patient recoveries because they master the nuanced techniques and stay current with the latest research.
The majority of shoulder replacements are still done by people who do very, very few. So if you look at high-volume surgeons, I do 300 shoulder replacements a year. A high-volume surgeon varies on the study. One study says 120 a year. Only about 30% of shoulder replacements in the United States are done by high-volume surgeons. Now, is that important? I believe it's actually very important. The data shows when you look at shoulder replacement as well as across other specialties, That somebody who is specialized and has a higher volume of a procedure has lower complications. Really what it means is that you can just get into the nuance. Somebody who's just specialized in the shoulder is going to really be paying attention to all the nuances and literature in that area. And then of course have the experience of not only be able to address things in an efficient manner, but with experience comes the ability to avoid complication, which is very, very important for a patient in getting through the surgery in a good manner, in a quick manner.
