Following a protocol for osteoporosis identification and initiation of treatment, almost one-third of patients were identified as being at high risk for osteoporosis in this orthopaedic trauma population. Specific components of the protocol included patient education and referral to the PCP, and nearly half of high-risk patients continued osteoporosis treatment at 12 months follow-up. Orthopaedic trauma surgeons can play a significant role in the diagnosis and treatment of osteoporosis in hospitalized patients and may be able to reduce the incidence of secondary fragility fractures.
Substantial logistical difficulties are inherent in attempting to obtain DXA scans in orthopaedic trauma patients at our regional trauma center. For those patients who did undergo DXA, a strong predictive relationship was seen between hip bone mineral density and QUS parameters. QUS thresholds in defining low- and high-risk subjects for osteoporosis in this population using this device are proposed. QUS is a simple, reliable, and relatively inexpensive tool for evaluating osteoporosis risk in orthopaedic trauma patients.
Orthopedic surgery is a specialty of surgery dedicated to the prevention, diagnosis, and treatment of diseases and injuries of the musculoskeletal system in all age groups. Careers in orthopedic surgery span the spectrum from general orthopedics to those of subspecialty expertise in orthopedic trauma, hand, pediatrics, total joint, foot and ankle, sports medicine, and oncology to name a few.
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