WHAT WE DO
Over the past thirty years, the concept of attaching an external prosthesis directly to the skeleton has become a reality. At least six unique designs have been developed and tested in patients with major extremity amputations, worldwide. The technique is particularly attractive to those with combat-related amputations because many have difficulty with traditional socket-based prostheses. However, the procedure itself requires expertise from a variety of specialists including Orthopaedic Surgeons, Plastic Surgeons, Rehabilitation Physicians, Therapists, and Prosthetists. Rather than foster dependence on a single implant at a single center, the Osseointegration Program is developing osseointegration as a capability within Military Medicine through advanced training, the establishment of clinical trials, and the development of best practices guidelines for osseointegration. The USU-WRNMMC team now has first-hand surgical experience with all currently available osseointegrated implant systems worldwide, ensuring the DoD stands ready to treat any and all military beneficiaries, no matter where osseointegration was performed.
PROGRAM HIGHLIGHTS
- Most OI Experience of any U.S. hospital at Walter Reed
- Currently conducting three Osseointegration clinical trials at WRNMMC
- OI Quality Registry: we are supervising the development of an International registry
- Subject Matter Experts for several programs developing complementary technology
- Training Surgeons and rehab physicians from other MTFs
- DoD Osseointegration Program awarded Best Poster Presentation at 2017 MHSRS