Every surgical facility has its own procedures. While you should discuss any specific procedures they may have in place, you may expect to follow this basic routine.

Arrive at the hospital at your appointment time and complete the registration and admission process. Your care team will assess your vital signs (like blood pressure and temperature) and your general health. You’ll change into a hospital gown and likely settle into a pre-surgery room. Your anesthesiologist and operating room nurse will come in to talk with you, and the team will start the IV (intravenous) line that will be used to administer fluids and medication. At some facilities, your family can stay with you until the team wheels you to the operating room where your orthopaedic surgeon and your surgical team will perform your shoulder replacement. After the surgery, you’ll be wheeled into a recovery room where your recovery team will monitor your vital signs until you’re ready for transport to your hospital room.

From there, the hospital floor nursing team will continue to monitor your vital signs and your incision site and dressing. You may be surprised how quickly you’ll be evaluated by a physical therapist. The team will get you moving with special post-operative activities. You’ll also be allowed to eat and drink as soon as you can tolerate it.

Your doctor wants to make sure you’re healthy and prepared for surgery and recovery. You’ll likely need a physical checkup, routine blood work, and a urine test. If you’re over 50, or have a heart or respiratory issue, you may also need an EKG and a chest X-ray.

Depending on your particular surgery and recovery, your team will help decide what’s best for you. Some people go right home, while other patients may need to stay a few days. Typically, your case manager, who assists you before, during, and after your surgery, will help you coordinate your recovery care.

Wear comfortable, loose-fitting clothing. Most facilities supply basic toiletries, non-skid socks, and a gown. You’ll want to bring an overnight bag with a few personal toiletries, like shaving supplies and anything that will make you feel more comfortable. (Avoid bringing valuables.) And, be sure to bring a list of your current medications and any paperwork the hospital requested.

Generally, you will be requested to arrive about two hours before your scheduled surgery time. This gives you plenty of time for the admission process, to change into your hospital gown, and to meet the anesthesiologist and nursing team who will be with you during your surgery. It also gives you time to ask questions and settle in.

Prior to surgery, it is typically important for patients not to eat or drink after midnight the night before surgery. But you should ask your doctor for instructions about when to stop eating or drinking. This is critically important to ask especially if you take medication, and would need to the morning of surgery. Be sure to tell the admitting nurse if you’ve taken medication.

During surgery, the orthopaedic surgeon replaces parts of the damaged upper arm bone (humerus) and the shoulder socket (glenoid) with surgical-grade metal and polyethylene (plastic) components referred to as implants. Your doctor may use the term shoulder arthroplasty, the medical term for the procedure.

Even with shoulder replacement, you and your doctor have options. Depending on the condition of your shoulder, your doctor may recommend reverse shoulder replacement or total shoulder replacement to relieve your pain and get you moving again. Like any surgery, joint replacement surgery has serious risks. Speak to your doctor to decide if joint replacement is appropriate for you. For more information visit shoulder replacement.

Surgery time depends on the complexity of each shoulder replacement. In general, expect to spend two hours in surgery and another two to three hours in the recovery room. Every patient is different and individual surgery times will vary.

You may receive general anesthesia, a regional anesthesia (just numbing the shoulder joint), or a combination of both. Ask your anesthesiologist about the method recommended for you and any other concerns you have.

You’ll be wheeled from the recovery area to your hospital room on the orthopaedic surgery floor a few hours after surgery. You may still have an IV for fluids and pain medication. The first night following surgery you may feel groggy from anesthesia and pain medication, but once you’re fully awake, you may be able to eat and drink if allowed by your doctor. Your care team will be monitoring your vital signs, urinary output, and drainage from the incision site.

The next day, your care team may begin getting you out of bed and you’ll likely have both physical and occupational therapy working with you to get you moving safely and feeling more confident when you move. The physical therapist focuses on teaching you exercises and stretches that encourage recovery. The occupational therapist will help you manage your day-to-day routine, like dressing, bathing, and reaching for things, while you’re recovering.

Typically, your doctor or one of the assisting surgeons will come out to the waiting area to talk with your family as soon as you’ve been taken into the recovery room. If your family misses seeing the surgeon, they should contact the surgeon’s office. Your doctor’s office will arrange a time for your surgeon to discuss your surgery with your family.

• Reactions to or problems with general anesthesia
• Infection
• Blood clots
• Damage to nerves, blood vessels and/or bones of the shoulder
• Loosening or wear of the shoulder implants
• Shoulder dislocation
• Fracture of the upper arm bone (humerus)
• Postoperative pneumonia

Your orthopaedic surgeon will carefully review with you all the potential risks and complications associated with shoulder replacement.