Traditionally, the German Endoprosthesis Register (EPRD) publishes its annual report during the German Congress for Orthopedics and Trauma Surgery. In the seventh year of tracking, it is almost a tradition for the A2® short stem to occupy a leading position in elective hip replacements. Short-shaft care is increasing again with a new record share of 15.1% of care.

The cement-free A2® short shaft can also score points in the 2024 annual report with a very low probability of failure of 2.7% within seven years. This puts him once again at the forefront of elective cement-free hip primary care. “The register shows clear differences in results between the socket systems. We are very proud that our system is one of the leading ones,” says Ulrich Bücken, Managing Director of ARTIQO GmbH, confirming the excellent result.

Short shaft care sets new record

A total of 58,995 short stem fittings are being tracked in the 2024 reporting year. This means that a short shaft was implanted in 15.1% of total endoprostheses in 2023 – another significant increase compared to the previous year. In around 52 clinics in Germany, more than every second treatment uses a short shaft.

The EPRD shows better results for short-shaft prostheses than for standard shafts in the period under review so far. The short stems have an average probability of failure of 3.1% within 7 years (standard hip stems with modular head: average 4.3% within 7 years). “Once again, the cement-free A2® short shaft shows better performance than average,” says Ulrich Bücken happily. “This is a great result and confirmation that our design concept of the calcar-guided short stem is reliable.” With 12,241 restorations in the tracking, the cementless stem system is the second most frequently implanted short stem in the registry.

New in the register: The cemented short shaft

For the first time, the cemented A2® short stem can be found in the register with 403 restorations in follow-up and a probability of failure of 1.6% within one year. “We are very proud that we have taken this step in development at ARTIQO,” says Ulrich Bücken about this unique selling point of the A2® short shaft system. “In this way, we can offer our customers a short stem alternative to the cemented straight stem, for example to provide good care for older patients and difficult bone morphologies.”