[Arthroplasty registries and their contribution to the safety of patient care in joint replacement].

The aims of a nationwide German arthroplasty registry are to contribute to continuous design improvement of implants by monitoring their long-term performance, to inform the public of the quality of the components used, and to form a database for further research in the field of epidemiology or the development of new devices and patient care concepts. A registry can in this way serve as an addition to the existing vigilance system and can help to further minimize risks for patients with respect to design weakness or inferiority. As a contribution to the safety of patient care, the establishment of a German arthroplasty registry is welcomed.