Sulaymaniyah hospital performs first total shoulder replacement

SULAYMANIYAH, Iraq — Sulaymaniyah Health Directorate announced that surgeons at Shar Emergency Teaching Hospital have carried out the city's first total shoulder replacement. A specialized team replaced the patient's full right shoulder joint in a procedure the directorate described as successful. The patient had suffered prolonged, severe pain in the shoulder joint that made daily activities difficult, according to the directorate's statement. Joint deterioration had intensified the pain and disrupted the patient's sleep, the statement said, adding that a total prosthetic replacement was decided upon and completed without complications. The directorate noted that the operation was the first of its kind at Shar Hospital. It said the team achieved a successful outcome but did not provide further details on the patient's condition or follow-up care.