Max Aebi, M.D. Wins ISSLS Lifetime Achievement Award
Max Aebi, M.D., Professor Emeritus of Orthopaedic Surgery at McGill University in Montreal and Bern University in Switzerland, has been awarded the 2016 Lifetime Achievement Award by The International Society for the Study of the Lumbar Spine (ISSLS). Dr. Aebi, a past president of the Spine Society Europe, built Switzerland’s first academic spine facility. He was later invited to chair orthopedic surgery at McGill University in Montreal, eventually becoming surgeon-in-chief of McGill University Health Center.
Asked about interesting career milestones, Dr. Aebi told OTW, “To be invited at the age of 43 from Switzerland as Chair and Professor of Orthopedic Surgery to McGill University, one of the top ranked universities in Canada, was quite unusual and was a huge challenge, professionally as well as culturally and personally. From the first day on—besides my surgical activity in a completely different environment—I had obviously to represent Orthopedics at the university as well as at the hospital level and to take decisions. I realized that I suddenly had not only to speak, but also to think in another language. Things we usually speak and write can have manifold meanings with the deeper significance often lying between the lines. To maintain the necessary alertness was extremely tiring in the first maybe 6 months until I got familiar with this new situation.”
“But when I have been invited back home to the University of Bern after 12 years of exciting work at McGill, to help to build and lead an Orthopedic Research Center with interdisciplinary teams in research from the bench (basic science) to the bedside (applied/ translational science) and beyond (outcome science), the cultural ‘shock’ was by far bigger than when I emigrated to Canada 12 years ago!”
Asked what was remarkable about his time at Spine Society Europe, Dr. Aebi commented, “I was of the founding generation of the Spine Society of Europe (Eurospine) at the beginning of the nineties and became president in 2005 after my return from Canada. In 1991 I also founded together with Serge Nazarian from France the European Spine Journal, and we could get an agreement with the Spine Society of Europe to use the ESJ as official Journal of the Society, what was a win–win situation for both organizations.”
Regarding how he came to build the first academic spine unit in Switzerland, Dr. Aebi told OTW, “In 1982 Prof. R. Ganz, who became recently at that time the successor of Prof. M.E. Müller, founder of the AO and a world renown pioneer in hip arthroplasty surgery, asked me whether I would be willing to create and lead a unit completely dedicated to spine surgery within the Bernese university department of orthopedic surgery. I was at this time a visiting surgeon in leading spine units in England, USA and Canada. At this time in Switzerland, spine surgery was part of Orthopedic and Neurosurgical Departments and was not an independent unit with surgeons exclusively dedicated to spine surgery with its own research program and residents. It was the first time such an opportunity existed in Switzerland and indeed trainees who emerged from this unit won then twice the ISSLS-Volvo award for scientific research and could profit from peer reviewed grants. Therefore we succeeded within relatively short time not only to create a very active clinical unit but also research, which became an integral part of the daily work, hence truly an academic unit.”
Discussing a great memory from McGill, Dr. Aebi noted, “The patchwork type of community: all were Canadians either since long or recently like me, but all came from different cultural backgrounds and brought these assets into the department for the benefit of all, no nationalism, no racism, a truly international family. And the opportunity to go up North in Quebec to serve medically the Inuit people, opened yet another world for me: the circumpolar Inuit culture with their phenomenal past and contemporary sculpture art, the beginning of an own collection of precious sculptures from artists, I partially met in person in their “villages” in the polar region.”
Anterior Plate Fixation: Fewer Failures With Iliosacral Screw
Recently published work is highlighting the importance of using a posterior iliosacral screw when it comes to repairing pelvic ring injuries. Frank Avilucea, M.D., an orthopedic traumatologist who is now with the University of Cincinnati, was lead author on this work performed at Vanderbilt University. He told OTW, “We saw that there was a discrepancy in the way that orthopedic surgeons were performing these surgeries. The biomechanical literature indicated that using a posterior screw to strengthen the anterior fixation of the pelvic ring increases stability. Some were adding a posterior screw, while others stuck to anterior fixation. We knew that there was a high rate of plate failure fixation in APC-2 (anterior posterior compression) injuries and we wanted to gain clarity on whether using a posterior screw would help in that situation.”
“This was a retrospective study (2004-2014) where we examined the records of adult patients presenting at Vanderbilt with a traumatic pelvic disruption. All study patients received an anterior symphyseal plate with or without a posterior iliosacral screw, ” added senior author Hassan Mir, M.D., M.B.A., now at the University of South Florida.
“We were surprised at the extent to which the failure of anterior plate fixation was decreased with the presence of an iliosacral screw. Of those who only had an anterior symphyseal plate, the malunion rate was 36% and the plate failure rate was 40%. The group with the posterior iliosacral screw had a failure rate of only 5%, with a 1% malunion rate, ” said Dr. Avilucea.
“Obviously, if we had been able to randomize patients it would have been better. And, even though these injuries are diagnosed by CT scan, the pelvis has a natural recoil and when patients are in the scanner the machine tends to correct some of the deformity…so you have a static image and thus it’s difficult to appreciate the degree of instability, ” said Dr. Mir.
Although further research on clinical outcomes is required, the authors recommend that colleagues using a supplemental posterior screw for fixation of APC-2 pelvic ring injuries will result in fewer plate failures and malunions.
Doug Kohrs, Dennis Stripe Join MedShape Board
Doug Kohrs and Dennis Stripe, who each bring more than 30 years’ of experience to the table, now have a seat at the table on the Board of Directors of MedShape, Inc.
Kohrs is currently the president of Foundation for Essential Needs and separately serves as a strategy consultant to the medical device industry. He previously served as the chief executive officer and director of the Tornier N.V., from 2006 to 2012. Prior to joining Tornier, Kohrs served as chief executive officer and chairman of the board of American Medical Systems Holdings, Inc., a publicly held medical device company, and was also general manager and founding member of Sulzer Spine-Tech Inc.
Stripe currently presides as managing director of Compliant Innovations, Inc. as well as a director of Central-Insurance Companies. Previously, he served as chief executive officer and director of OrthoHelix Surgical Designs Inc., a privately held foot and ankle medical device company, from 2008 until 2013. Prior to OrthoHelix, Stripe management roles with Stryker Corporation, Spine Division and Smith & Nephew plc.
Kors told OTW, “I was attracted by MedShape’s team of passionate, hard-working individuals and their ability to introduce new technologies, like their shape memory alloy technology, to the market through their unique portfolio of foot and ankle and sports medicine products. I am looking forward to working with Dennis and the rest of the Board to find ways to further build the product pipeline and continue to establish a successful, sustainable business.”
Dennis Stripe commented to OTW, “I was attracted by the strong technology capabilities, differentiated products and a team of employees and associates who are passionate about building a successful company.”
“I think my previous experience with growing early stage companies, as well as knowledge of the foot/ankle market, will provide a new perspective towards positioning MedShape as a leader in developing and selling more differentiated orthopaedic devices and growing the business.”
