Grant Recipients
Christopher T. Born, MD
Director of Orthopaedic Trauma, Rhode Island Hospital
Dr. Born is currently Professor of Orthopaedic Surgery at the Warren Alpert Medical School of Brown University and the Director of Orthopaedic Trauma at the Rhode Island Hospital. Dr. Born Chairs the Extremity War Injury and Disaster Preparedness Subcommittee of the American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons. In 2008 he was a Distinguished Visiting Scholar at the US Military Hospital in Landstuhl, Germany. He is an active member of the International Medical Surgical Response Team (IMSuRT).
In Vitro Optimization and Large Animal Study of Anti-infective, Bioactive Intramedullary (IM) Nails
Approximately 70 percent of the war wounds sustained in the current conflict in Iraq and Afghanistan are musculoskeletal injuries; 55 percent are extremity wounds. Fractures account for 26 percent of injuries, and 82 percent are open fractures. The high-energy explosive injuries, environmental contamination, varying evacuation procedures, and progressive levels of medical care make managing combat-related injuries challenging.
The metal implants used to stabilize and treat fractures can be treated by chemical processes that will alter the molecular structure of their surface. Laboratory and small animal studies have shown that these treatments can be manipulated to create bio-active, drug-like characteristics that may reduce infection and encourage bone or skin adherence and thereby promote healing. This study will look at the effect of these surface changes on implants used to treat fractures in larger animals to see if the infection rate can be reduced or eliminated. This would potentially have a significantly positive impact on how we treat fractures at risk for infection such as in military war injuries.