Medical Co-Director of Institute for Joint Replacement and Research Also
Presents Research Studies at AAOS Annual Meeting; Moderates Symposium
at Hip & Knee Surgeons Annual Meeting
The American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons (AAOS) has named Alexander
Sah, MD, to the 2016-2017 AAOS Leadership Fellows Program (LFP). Co-Director
of Washington Hospital’s Institute for Joint Replacement and Research
(IJRR), Dr. Sah is one of only 10 specialists in the nation to be selected
for the prestigious program.
The LFP identifies future leaders and combines instructional and experiential
leadership training to prepare fellows for greater roles of leadership.
In addition, fellows are matched with an established leader within the
AAOS who serves as a mentor throughout the program. The LFP’s goal
is to encourage outstanding young orthopaedic surgeons to share their
knowledge, standards and techniques to improve the field of orthopaedic surgery.
“I am honored to be chosen for this opportunity to participate in
the leadership program sponsored by the AAOS,” Dr. Sah notes. “This
experience will provide not only extended contact with peers and mentors
in orthopaedics, but also with a means of sharing the research and experience
of the IJRR with colleagues within our community and across the nation.
It is a privilege to represent the Washington Hospital IJRR and the community
in this way.”
Dr. Sah also recently shared abstracts of research conducted at the IJRR
with other physicians attending the AAOS annual meeting, March 1-5, in
Orlando, Florida:
- Medical Co-Director of the IJRR John Dearborn, MD, presented joint research
with Dr. Sah, discussing the results of a randomized trial of two different
types of cement used in knee replacement surgeries. The purpose of the
study was to evaluate how bones respond to the different types of cement
during the hardening process. Further evaluation is ongoing to determine
the clinical implications of the research findings.
- Dr. Sah shared another randomized study of “barbed” knotless,
dissolving sutures compared to standard sutures in patients who had total
knee replacements. The knotless sutures have tiny “barbs”
that eliminate the need to tie knots at the ends of the suture to secure
it in place. In this study, the barbed knotless suture closure of wounds
was faster, had fewer suture breakages, and was more watertight than standard sutures.
- The purpose of a third study by Dr. Sah was to evaluate 150 of his total
knee replacement patients who were mobilized to walk the evening of their
surgery, compared to 150 patients who were not walked the evening of their
surgery. Dr. Sah reported that knee range of motion was greater in the
early mobilization group at time of discharge, and over 70 percent of
these patients were able to go home the morning following surgery.
Dr. Sah, who also is Medical Director of the Outpatient Joint Replacement
Program, recently spoke at and moderated a symposium at the American Association
of Hip and Knee Surgeons’ 25th Annual Meeting in November 2015 in
Dallas, Texas: “Same-day Surgery: The Road to Outpatient Total Joint
Replacement.” Here, he shared his techniques and protocols for more
rapid discharge after joint replacement.
“Our community hospital based program here at Washington Hospital
has gained regional and national acclaim, providing our research results
and education to other physicians across the country,” Dr. Sah observes.
“Having the IJRR active in research and national organizations such
as AAOS is definitely a benefit for the people in our community because
we continually improve the quality of patient care through these experiences.
Plus, our local facility is making a difference in improving the quality
of joint replacement surgeries throughout the country.”