St. Elizabeth Healthcare revealed today that the Northern Kentucky hospital system was the first in the world to begin performing a new type of shoulder replacement surgery that preserves the patient’s rotator cuff, which is said to result in less pain and shorter recovery time.
Dr. R. Michael Greiwe, an orthopedic surgeon with Commonwealth Orthopaedic Centers who practices at St. Elizabeth Healthcare hospitals, developed the new procedure and has performed it six times so far.
Standard total shoulder replacement to help patients cope with severe pain and stiffness from an ailment such as arthritis often involves a long, painful rehabilitation that keeps patients away from work for weeks or months, according to Edgewood-based St. Elizabeth.
“We’ve been working very hard to develop a shoulder replacement technique that reduces pain and speeds up healing,” Greiwe said. “This will be a significant game changer for patients and their surgeons.”
The Rotator Cuff Sparing Method for Total Shoulder Replacement developed by Greiwe has been performed only at St. Elizabeth Florence Hospital, but the procedure also could be preformed at the surgery center adjacent to St. Elizabeth Edgewood Hospital, I was told.
About 140 total shoulder replacements are performed annually at St. Elizabeth, and about 53,000 people in the United States have such surgery each year.
During regular shoulder replacement, doctors cut and pull away the patient’s rotator cuff (the muscles and tendons located in the front of the shoulder) to gain access to the damaged ball-and-socket joint. Using his new technique, Greiwe replaces the patient’s arthritic ball and socket without cutting the rotator cuff.
Greiwe approaches the shoulder joint from the back instead of the front as is typical and uses specially designed instruments to separate the muscles and tendons and access the joint.
“Our new method of replacing the shoulder joint by going in from the back rather than the front helps people immensely from a pain standpoint,” Greiwe said. “We eliminate potential complications because we don’t cut the rotator cuff muscles.”
Terrence Butler, 67, a part-time court security officer from Greendale, Ind., was the first patient to undergo the new surgery. Because of arthritis, he had trouble lifting heavy objects and casting a fishing line, part of his favorite pastime.
Greiwe replaced Butler’s shoulder on Sept. 26. Butler stayed in the hospital overnight for observation.
“I think I actually went fishing on the third day home,” Butler said. “I feel good. I can do anything I want.”
However, some rehab was necessary. Butler went to physical therapy for seven weeks. After three months, he considered himself recovered.
Total recovery time with the new procedure is about three months compared with six to nine months for standard shoulder replacement surgery, according to St. Elizabeth, which is one of the largest hospital systems in Greater Cincinnati.
The second patient to undergo the new Greiwe procedure was Lenny Carbonia, 63, a retired police officer who lives in Independence, Ky. He had arthritis pain in his right shoulder that sometimes radiated down his arm.
Two weeks after surgery, on Oct. 31, “I had complete range of motion,” Carbonia said. “I could reach up or back. I could do anything.”
However, he experienced some pain and stiffness during rehab, which was expected, according to St. E.
Carbonia, who had standard replacement surgery on his left shoulder four years ago, said the difference between the old and new procedure was “astronomical.”
“The regular surgery was extremely painful,” Carbonia said. “After the new procedure, I was able to stop taking strong prescription pain medicine after one day. I healed faster.”