OTI to participate in new Extremity Trauma Clinical Research Consortium

The Orthopaedic Trauma Institute (OTI) at the San Francisco General Hospital and Trauma Center and University of California, San Francisco has been chosen to serve as one of 12 core clinical centers in a newly established Extremity Trauma Clinical Research Consortium.

Funded by the Orthopaedic Extremity Trauma Research Program (OETRP) of the Department of Defense for $18.4 million during the next five years, the Consortium will work closely with several major military treatment centers and the U.S. Army Institute of Surgical Research (USAISR) to conduct multi-center clinical research studies relevant to the treatment and outcomes of severe orthopaedic trauma sustained on the battlefield. These studies will help establish treatment guidelines and facilitate the translation of new and emerging technologies into clinical practice.

“Bringing together many of the best and the brightest experts in the field of orthopaedic trauma surgery, the Consortium represents the most significant orthopaedic study group ever created in the United States,” said Theodore Miclau, MD, Vice Chair of the Department of Orthopaedics and Director of Orthopaedic Trauma at the University of California, San Francisco (UCSF) and Chief of Orthopaedic Surgery at San Francisco General Hospital (SFGH). “We are pleased that the OTI will be one of a select few trauma centers to participate as a core center in this important program.”

The Orthopaedic Trauma Institute, which opened its doors in February 2009, is a state-of-the-art facility on the San Francisco General Hospital campus dedicated to a multidisciplinary approach to clinical care, research, education and outreach.

“Participating in this Consortium will help us continue to advance the field of orthopaedic trauma through translational research opportunities,” Dr. Miclau added. “Initial funding of the Consortium will support the study of critical needs in acute clinical care identified by the military, including bone reconstruction and the management of musculoskeletal infections. Over time, it will expand and leverage its infrastructure to address many other priority topics relevant to the long-term management of severe extremity trauma, including prevention.”

“The need for such a Consortium is evident,” said Ellen MacKenzie, PhD, Director of the Coordinating Center for the Consortium at the Johns Hopkins University Bloomberg School of Public Health. “Eighty-two percent of all service members injured in Operation Iraqi Freedom and Operation Enduring Freedom sustain significant extremity trauma. Many sustain injuries to multiple limbs. The research to be conducted by the Consortium will help us better understand what works and what doesn’t in treating these injuries and ensure that our service members are provided with the best care possible.”

“We are thrilled to be partnering with the Consortium and the incredible team of investigators they have assembled,” said Dr. Joseph Wenke of the USAISR. “Together we will develop the infrastructure critically needed to address some of the most pressing issues in orthopedic trauma care. Without a large multi-center effort such as this, many of these issues would never be solved.”

In addition to the OTI, the other centers currently participating in the Consortium include: Boston University Medical Center, The Florida Orthopedic Institute, Carolinas Medical Center, Denver Health and Hospital Authority, OrthoIndy and the Indiana Orthopedic Hospital, Orthopedic Associates of Michigan, The University of Maryland Medical Systems R Adams Cowley Shock Trauma Center, The University of Mississippi Medical Center, The University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center, The University of Washington Harborview Medical Center, and Vanderbilt University Medical Center.

 http://www.orthotrauma.com/