The Hand/Upper Extremity and Trauma teams in the Department of Orthopaedic Surgery and Sports Medicine were awarded a grant to help fund their multicenter prospective study on the treatment of proximal humerus fractures. This grant was sponsored by the AAOS (American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons) in conjunction with the ASES (American Shoulder and Elbow Surgeons) and was only awarded to two institutions in the country.
This effort has been led by Jay King with the help of Jenn Hagen, Thomas Wright, Jon Wright, Matthew Patrick, Michael Talerico, Thomas Krupko, and Richard Vlasak who have been collecting data on this patient population for over one year. They have added Saint Louis University and Cooper Medical Center to the multicenter effort with another three institutions working on study approval with the ultimate goal of 10-12 sites. The UF Orthopaedic Surgery Research Division was critical in obtaining this grant under the guidance of Dr. MaryBeth Horodyski and Darlene Bailey. UF Orthopaedic Clinical Research Coordinators, Tyler LaMonica, Marissa Pazik, and Aimee Struk among others, have been crucial in collecting data and making sure the study has been running smoothly.
This study aims to better understand the outcomes of different treatments for proximal humerus fractures, one of the most common fractures in the elderly population. Despite the high incidence of these fractures, appropriate evidence-based treatment algorithms are lacking. This study is prospectively collecting a variety of factors that may affect the final outcome in order to improve the treatment algorithm of complex proximal humerus fractures. We would like to thank the AAOS and ASES for funding this study given the significant efforts it takes to conduct a study of this caliber.
To learn more, visit the ASES announcement: