A2® short shaft system has arrived in the mainstream

Every October, the German Arthroplasty Registry (EPRD) publishes its annual report. For the A2® short stem, it’s another home run in its eighth year of follow-up: As in previous years, it maintains a leading position in elective hip replacements. The increase in short stem replacements is remarkable: Nearly a quarter of all replacements in the 2024 surgery year were performed with short stems.

The cementless A2® short stem, with 15,853 restorations under follow-up, once again demonstrates a very low failure rate of 3.1% within eight years.

This year’s registry also reveals significant differences in performance between stem systems, with short stems again outperforming standard stems: Cementless short stems exhibit an average failure rate of 3.3% within eight years, compared to 4.3% for standard stems over the same period. “We are delighted that the cementless A2® short stem has once again demonstrated better performance than the average of standard and short stems,” says Ulrich Bücken, Managing Director of ARTIQO GmbH, pleased with the excellent results. Looking more closely at the systems in widespread use (>75 clinics using a system), the A2 short stem even ranks second in performance.

Short-stem prostheses: the new standard?

Overall, it can be observed that short-stem prostheses are increasingly being accepted as the standard treatment. In the 2024 surgical year, 112,386 short-stem prostheses were under follow-up. This means that a short stem was implanted in 23% of total joint replacements in 2024. “Thanks to the very good results, short-stem prostheses have evolved from a niche treatment to the standard treatment,” confirms Ulrich Bücken with satisfaction. “We are particularly pleased that more than 100 hospitals are now reporting their procedures using the A2® short-stem system. The system has become widely adopted.”