Changes in shoulder arthroscopy trends in the different health areas of the aragon region of spain

Araguas-Castillon, David ; Garcia-Alvarez, Felicito (Universidad de Zaragoza)

Resumen: Purpose: The objective of the study was to analyze the epidemiology and implementation of shoulder arthroscopy, with a focus on disparities and differences between public and private hospitals in the different
health areas of the Aragon region of Spain.
Methods: A retrospective analysis of the database of the Aragon Institute of Health Sciences from January 1, 1996, to December 31, 2021, was conducted.
Results: During the study period, 17,938 shoulder arthroscopies were performed, increasing the overall number of interventions by 360.6 times. The male/female ratio was 1.25. Mean age increased from 44.3 (±
7.6) years in 1996 to 52.3 (± 13.2) years in 2015 (p<0.001). In the Teruel area, the incidence rate of arthroscopies was 161.5/100,000 inhabitants in 2009; however, it decreased to 45.2 in 2021. On the other
hand, in the Zaragoza I area, the number increased from 64.1 in 2009 to 121.5 in 2021. Between 1996 and 2015, 60.3% (2,883 patients) of the total number of private-funded interventions were performed on male
patients, whereas 51.14% (3,288 patients) of the total number of public-funded interventions were performed on male patients (p<0.001); since 2016, 58.46% (2,014 patients) of the total number of privatefunded interventions were performed on male patients, whereas 53.46% (1,328 patients) of the total number of public-funded interventions were performed on male patients (p<0.001). Mean length of stay was 1.49
(±2.47) days in private-funded admissions versus 1.78 (±1.20) days in public-funded admissions between 1996 and 2015 (p<0.001); since 2016, the were no differences between the two groups. Readmission rate
from 1996 to 2015 was higher in private-funded surgeries (553 readmitted patients of 3550, 0.16%) compared to public-funded surgeries (614 readmitted patients of 6237, 0.1%) (p<0.001); since 2016, readmission rate
was higher in private-funded surgeries (498 readmitted patients of 3245, 0.15%) compared to public-funded surgeries (150 readmitted patients of 2426, 0.06%) (p<0.001).
Conclusions: Arthroscopic shoulder procedures did not follow the same development and implantation in all the areas of Aragón; there were existing differences depending on the health area. The different
idiosyncrasies of public and private hospitals favor the differences between them in terms of implementation and development of shoulder arthroscopy.

Idioma: Inglés

DOI: 10.7759/cureus.92034

Año: 2025

Publicado en: Cureus 17, 9 (2025), e92034 [8 pp.]
ISSN: 2168-8184

Tipo y forma: Article (Published version)

Área (Departamento): Área Traumatología y Ortopedia (Dpto. Cirugía)