Outpatient versus inpatient total shoulder arthroplasty: A meta-analysis of clinical outcomes and adverse events

Background In recent years, orthopaedic procedures have increasingly shifted from inpatient to outpatient settings. This trend includes total shoulder arthroplasty (TSA), which is being performed more frequently in outpatient facilities and ambulatory surgical centres. The purpose of this study was to compare the clinical outcomes and rates of adverse events between outpatient and inpatient TSA. Methods PubMed, Cochrane, and Google Scholar (pages 1-20) databases were screened for articles comparing outpatient to inpatient TSA through June 2024, using relevant and holistic search terms. Non-comparative articles and those utilizing national databases were excluded from our study. Data on complications, myocardial infarction (MI), thromboembolic events, anaemia/transfusions, infections, readmissions, emergency department (ED) visits, revision surgery, and patient reported outcome measures at one year (Visual Analog Scale [VAS] and American Shoulder and Elbow Surgeons [ASES] score) were extracted. Results A total of 14 articles were included in our study, involving 1070 outpatient and 1330 inpatient TSA patients. Patients in the inpatient group were older and had a higher ASA compared to the patients in the outpatient group. The outpatient TSA group was found to have significantly lower rates of overall complications (odds ratio [OR] = 0.59, p = 0.001), medical complications (OR = 0.43, p < 0.001), and readmissions (OR = 0.47, p = 0.008), as well as higher mean ASES scores (81.4 vs. 78.5, p = 0.01) when compared to the inpatient TSA group. There were no significant differences in rates of ED visits (p = 0.27), revisions (p = 0.06), and VAS scores (p = 0.15) between inpatient and outpatient TSA groups. Conclusion TSAs performed in the outpatient setting had a lower rate of overall adverse events, medical complications, readmissions, and a higher ASES score compared to inpatient TSAs. However, since patients in the inpatient group had higher ASA and were older, our results support the safety of the outpatient TSA based on the current selection criteria.