Closed Suction Drainage in Shoulder Arthroplasty

The purpose of this study is to determine the limited effectiveness of drains during Total Shoulder Arthroplasty. Drains are used during joint arthroplasty procedures to decrease infection rates, swelling,and the number of dressing changes required during a hospital stay. The use of drains has been heavily investigated in the hip and knee replacement literature, but there have been no investigations regarding their use in shoulder replacements, despite frequent use. Clinical benefit has not been consistently documented regarding drain usage in hip and knee arthroplasty and the investigators hypothesize that they are of limited utility in total shoulder arthroplasty as well. The investigators will perform a prospective investigation of total shoulder arthroplasty patients- dividing them into two groups- half will receive a drain at the time of surgery and the other half will not be receiving a drain.