Vision: To create a national elbow joint arthroplasty registry in Israel. It will be dedicated to providing data to drive improvement in elbow replacement and serve as a model for future orthopedic registries in Israel.

A registry is basically a shared database.  Surgeons who do a particular procedure send the data to the registry and the information is collected.  The information is periodically analyzed to better understand and predict early failures which then lead to improvements.  Instead of just one surgeon looking at their own experience, the registry collects the data on all the surgeons to see common factors related to successes and failures.  The information is then distributed to all the surgeons who can make adjustments in their techniques to help future patients.

Patients can also contribute to the registry directly by filling out online forms or by filling out paper forms and faxing them in.  Patients will be asked directly about how happy they are with the use and function of their “artificial” elbows.  This will also have direct impact on how the procedure is evaluated.

International registries have seen up to a 50% reduction in revision rates after registry initiation and identification of best practices.

Registries allow patients to be followed with continuous evaluation. They allow comparison of implants and techniques. They provide data on implant survival and analysis can determine factors affecting survivorship. It can help determine risk factors for infection. Surgeons will get feedback and statistics twice a year about implant performance and confidential data about their individual results.

There are very few articles in the literature describing results and survival of total elbow arthroplasty. The results of our combined experience can contribute to the literature.

Currently:

Approximately 50 total elbow arthroplasties are performed in Israel annually. It is my belief that total elbow arthroplasty is under-performed in Israel. This is likely related to lack of knowledge and suspicion by the larger orthopedic community.

Patient satisfaction will be measured by the Oxford Elbow Score.  It is the best out of over 12 different elbow-scoring systems. The patient can perform the scoring from their home via an internet-based questionnaire. Alternatively, the questionnaire can be faxed or mailed. This will allow the registry to not only identify factors related to survival, but also to patient satisfaction and arm function.

What has been done so far – for the Israel Elbow Registry:

– Other registries have been studied

– Forms have been created for collecting data

– Oxford Elbow Score chosen as best outcome measure after review of the literature

– Oxford Elbow Score has been translated into Hebrew

– Online data collection forms created for both surgeon and patient

– Helsinki application currently in process

– Simple website currently under construction to allow collection of data from both patients and surgeons: www.IsraelElbowRegistry.com

– ALL 9 surgeons in Israel who perform this surgery have been contacted and plan to participate.

Please contribute to this important work!

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