Trauma

Key Objectives
To acquire a better understanding of the outcomes of treatment of fractures and trauma and to apply that knowledge to develop improved treatment methods.

Major Research Interests

• Epidemiology of trauma
• Pelvic and acetabular fracture
• Clinical and cost outcomes of surgical management of both upper limb, pelvic and lower limb fractures
• Fracture healing

The Discipline is the major tertiary referral centre for trauma in South Australia and the Northern Territory. The Discipline is also committed to a research program in trauma, with a strong emphasis on outcomes of treatment.

Prospective follow-up protocols have been established for monitoring the outcomes of patients with pelvic and acetabular fractures treated by open reduction and internal fixation. A comprehensive database on pelvic and acetabular fractures incorporates demographic details, injury, treatment and outcomes.

Orthopaedic trauma management comprises a significant proportion of the Discipline's clinical activities. The Discipline has therefore established an Orthopaedic trauma management and outcomes documentation program and database with the overall objective of providing data to support evidence based clinical practice for the orthopaedic trauma patient.

The Trauma Unit runs the Adelaide arm of an international randomised clinical trial examining the performance of the bone-forming molecule, BMP, in the healing of open tibial fractures.

The Discipline is closely associated with the surrogate skeleton project being conducted by the Defence Science and Technology Organisation (DSTO) investigating the traumatic impact of defence weaponry on human bones and ways of minimising this.

Director of Program
Mr Tony Pohl
Email: tpohl@mail.rah.sa.gov.au

Location:
Trauma Unit, Bice Building, RAH.
Orthopaedic Outcomes Unit, North Wing R3.

Staff:
Dr Mellick Chehade, Dr Bodgan Solomon, Trauma Fellows. Sue Pannach, Tania Knight, Melina Dalese, Margaret McGee, Eileen Brougham.