This past Tuesday, November 29, my Fundamentals in Biomedical Sciences (II) class was visited by Dr. Slauterbeck, Chair of Orthopedic Surgery at the University of South Alabama’s hospital, as a continuation of our trauma week activities. He spoke to us about the surgical procedure that our patient, Connor, would undergo as a result of his injuries.
Our patient was diagnosed with an open tibia-fibula (tib-fib) fracture to the left leg. After discussing various surgical options with Dr. Slauterbeck, it was decided that a surgical procedure known as an external fixation would be the best option for our patient. In an external fixation, a device known as an external fixator is screwed into the bone to provide stabilization and alignment for a broken bone. This device would be placed on our patient's tibia. Before this external fixator can be used, though, the wound must be cleaned thoroughly. This process is incredibly meticulous and involves the use of nine liters of saline. The entire procedure, from the cleaning to the external fixation, should take approximately one hour, with about 30-45 minutes dedicated to placing the external fixator.
The external fixator will remain on our patient for about 2 weeks, with one week dedicated to wound healing and another week dedicated to working with a physical therapist. Once two weeks elapse, our patient will undergo a second surgery where the external fixator will be replaced by a rod/nail that would run down the center of the tibia. This rod will likely remain in our patient for the remainder of his life (the patients who are the exception to this include those at risk for another high-impact fracture and growing children).
Dr. Slauterbeck ended his talk with us today by discussing the field of orthopedics in general. He describes that he sees patients “womb to tomb”, meaning from the beginning of their life to the end of it. Orthopedics have many subspecialties including sports medicine, knee, tumors, pediatrics, and more. He ended his speech with a fact: The Orthopedic field of Medicine is overwhelmingly dominated by white males. He wanted us to know that we are all capable of pursuing any field we choose, regardless of what others have to say about it. Dr. Slauterbeck says that he loves his job so much that he’s never worked a day in his life!
I would like to thank Dr. Slauterbeck for his contribution to St. Luke’s trauma week. He certainly made me incredibly interested in this field!
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