Effect of COVID-19 on Shoulder Arthroplasty at a Tertiary Care Medical Center in New York City

Objective The COVID-19 pandemic led to an unprecedented pause in elective surgeries, including shoulder arthroplasty. We sought to determine whether clinical and/or demographic differences would be seen between patients who presented for shoulder arthroplasty during the pandemic compared with the previous year (2019). Methods Institutional records were queried for patients who underwent shoulder replacement between March 1 and July 1 of 2019 and 2020. Demographics, range of motion, surgical duration, hospitalization time, discharge disposition, and postoperative management were analyzed. Results The mean duration of surgery was 160 ± 50 minutes in 2020 and 179 ± 54 minutes in 2019 ( p = 0.13). The mean hospitalization time was 36 ± 13 hours in 2020 and 51 ± 40 hours in 2019 ( p = 0.04). In 2019, 96% of the patients participated in physical therapy, while 71% did it in 2020 ( p = 0.003). A total of 100% of the 2019 patients and 86% of the 2020 patients participated in an in-person postoperative follow-up ( p = 0.006). The 2019 patients reported for an office visit on average 14 ± 11 days after surgery; the 2020 patients waited 25 ± 25 days to return for a follow-up ( p = 0.10). Range of motion, age, American Society of Anesthesiologists (ASA) scores, and complication rates did not differ between the cohorts. Conclusion Patients presenting for surgery during the initial phase of the pandemic were demographically and clinically similar to 2019 patients. However, the length of stay was significantly reduced during the COVID-19 pandemic. Postoperative follow-up and physical therapy were delayed in 2020, but this did not lead to differences in complication or readmission rates compared with those of the 2019 cohort. Level of Evidence III.