Team ETALO is designing a surgical training model for general surgeons, medical officers and other non-orthopedic practitioners to develop their skills to help drill bone and to place fixation pins to stabilize fractures.
ETALO, in a local Ugandan language, means bone infection. It is also an acronym for Education To Advance Limb-Saving Options for Open Fractures and Osteomyelitis.
Chronic osteomyelitis and open fractures are very common in LMICs. These conditions require early intervention to debride and stabilize bone to avoid complications that would result in poor limb function, need for multiple surgeries, and possibly amputation.
The surgical skill sets required to treat both conditions are related and center around the psychomotor skill of drilling bone - whether that be to drain pus from the intramedullary canal for infection or to place pins to stabilize a bone to allow for healing in the setting of fracture or infection.
The skill of drilling bone is part of routine orthopaedic training, but not taught in non-orthopaedic programs. This is a problem because in order for patients to have timely care, they will often be cared for by a physician that is not an orthopaedic surgeon or by a clinical officer.
Our model will contribute to improvement in outcomes for treatment of open fracture and osteomyelitis. There will be a decrease in morbidity (and mortality), time to definitive care and overall cost of care.
Team ETALO members (Discovery Award Phase)[edit | edit source]
- Dr. Muhumuza Moses Fisha - Orthopaedic Surgeon, Uganda
- Dr. Coleen Sabatini - Orthopaedic Surgeon, USA
- Dr. Qusai Hammouri - Orthopaedic Surgeon, USA & Jordan
- Dr. Norgrove Penny - Orthopaedic Surgeon, Canada
- Tayla Colton - Education Consultant, USA
- Daniella Akellot - Research Coordinator/Project Manager, Uganda
- Isaac Oluk - Engineer, Uganda
- Julius Mugaga - Biomedical Engineer, Uganda
- Zainab Choudhery - Biomedical Engineering Student, USA