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The information on this page is for educational purposes only and is not intended to replace professional medical advice, diagnosis, or treatment.
Always seek the advice of your doctor or other qualified health professional with any questions you may have regarding a medical condition.
đ¨Emergency? If you have severe symptoms, difficulty breathing, or think it's an emergency, call 000 immediately.
Shoulder Replacement Infection
Shoulder replacement infection is a serious complication occurring in 1-2% of shoulder replacement surgeries when bacteria contaminate the implant during surgery or spread through the bloodstream later - it causes severe shoulder pain, fever, wound drainage, and redness weeks to months after surgery, requiring aggressive treatment with two-stage revision surgery (removing infected implant, treating infection for 6-12 weeks, then reimplanting new shoulder replacement) which successfully eradicates infection in 80-90% of cases.
đWhat is Shoulder Replacement Infection?
Shoulder replacement infection is a serious complication occurring in 1-2% of shoulder replacement surgeries when bacteria contaminate the implant during surgery or spread through the bloodstream later - it causes severe shoulder pain, fever, wound drainage, and redness weeks to months after surgery, requiring aggressive treatment with two-stage revision surgery (removing infected implant, treating infection for 6-12 weeks, then reimplanting new shoulder replacement) which successfully eradicates infection in 80-90% of cases.
đŦWhat Causes It?
- Bacteria contaminating implant during surgery (1-2% risk despite sterile precautions)
- Hematogenous spread from distant infection (dental, urinary, skin infection spreading through bloodstream to implant)
- Direct inoculation from wound complications (delayed healing, hematoma)
- Biofilm formation on implant surface making infection difficult to eradicate with antibiotics alone
â ī¸Risk Factors
You may be at higher risk if:
- Diabetes, immunosuppression, rheumatoid arthritis (impaired immune function)
- Previous shoulder surgery or infection (scar tissue, compromised soft tissue)
- Obesity, smoking (impair wound healing)
- Prolonged surgery time or surgical complications
- Dental disease or other chronic infections (source of bacteria)
đĄī¸Prevention
- âOptimize medical conditions before surgery (control diabetes, stop smoking - reduces infection risk 50%)
- âAntibiotic prophylaxis for dental work or procedures after shoulder replacement (prevents bloodstream bacteria seeding implant)
- âPrompt treatment of any infections (skin, urinary, respiratory - prevents spread to implant)
- âGood dental hygiene (chronic dental disease source of bacteria)
- âMeticulous wound care after surgery (keep wound clean and dry, report any drainage immediately)