Freddie H. Fu, M.D. Inducted Into AOSSM Hall of Fame
The legendary Chair of “Pitt” orthopedics, Freddie H. Fu, M.D., was recently inducted into the American Orthopaedic Society for Sports Medicine’s (AOSSM) Hall of Fame during the Society’s 2016 Annual Meeting.
Dr. Fu is a Past AOSSM President and the David Silver Professor and Chairman of the Department of Orthopaedic Surgery at the University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine. He holds secondary appointments as Professor of Physical Therapy, Health and Physical Activity, and Mechanical Engineering and serves as the Head Team Physician for the University of Pittsburgh Athletic Department. In 1999, he was awarded an honorary Doctor of Science degree from Point Park University, an honorary Doctor of Public Service degree from Chatham University, and in 2010 was appointed Distinguished Service Professor by the University of Pittsburgh. Dr. Fu received the 2014 Kappa Delta Elizabeth Winston Lanier Award for “Anatomic ACL Reconstruction: A Changing Paradigm” presented by the Kappa Delta Sorority and the Orthopaedic Research and Education Foundation (OREF) and received it at the 2014 Annual Meeting of the American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons (AAOS).
Dr. Fu graduated summa cum laude from Dartmouth College in 1974 and received his BMS in 1975 from Dartmouth Medical School. He earned his medical degree in 1977 from the University of Pittsburgh and completed his general surgery internship at Brown University. He then completed an orthopedic research fellowship—as well as his orthopedic residency—at the University of Pittsburgh. During that time, Dr. Fu was an AO International Fellow at the Hannover Trauma Center in Germany and an arthroscopic surgery fellow in East Lansing, Michigan. In 1984, Dr. Fu was selected as an AOA North American Traveling Fellow. As an ESSKA-AOSSM Sports Medicine Travelling Fellow in 1988, he visited more than 30 sports medicine centers in Europe.
Dr. Fu is a member and has held offices in numerous academic organizations, including the Herodicus Society and the American Orthopaedic Association. He has served as President of the Pennsylvania Orthopaedic Society, AOSSM and the International Society of Arthroscopy, Knee Surgery and Orthopaedic Sports Medicine (ISAKOS). He has held board positions with the Arthroscopy Association of North America and the Orthopaedic Research and Education Foundation and AOSSM.
Dr. Fu was the primary driver behind the design and construction of the $80 million UPMC Rooney Sports Complex, a 60-acre state-of-the-art sports medicine complex which opened in October 2000. Using this first complex as a blueprint, a second Center, the UPMC Lemieux Sports Complex, opened in August 2015. The 185, 000 square foot complex is a mix of a practice facility for the Pittsburgh Penguins, and an outpatient treatment center for the University of Pittsburgh Medical Center (UPMC). It boasts 24 dedicated orthopaedic exam rooms, as well as MRI and X-ray equipment.
Dr. Fu told OTW, “My being honored with this award reflects the outstanding teamwork at UPMC and Pitt. Thanks to these talented individuals for showing up every day and giving their utmost to enhance the field of sports medicine.
“As far as the future of our field, we need to measure outcomes before we can examine results. One promising front in the sports medicine field is the opportunity to improve patient outcomes, especially via the use of objective measurements.”
The Latest on Tommy John Surgeries
David W. Altchek, M.D. is Attending Orthopaedic Surgeon and Co-Chief Emeritus in the Sports Medicine & Shoulder Service at Hospital for Special Surgery (HSS). He told OTW, “Despite the explosion in Tommy John surgeries, we still don’t know the reasons behind the injuries. Is something going wrong with the pitching mechanics? Is velocity the problem? What about the height of the mound? The fact remains that throwing a baseball repeatedly at high speeds is not a normal activity—and the body is going to pay for that.
Dr. Altchek, who is the Medical Director for the New York Mets, said, “One exciting development in the Tommy John arena is the Motus Pro, a new device made by a Long Island-based company. The wearable device has five sensors, fits like a sleeve, and measures the forces around the joints. The tool, which tracks things such as hand speed and elbow torque, can also give trainers and physicians information on how much power is generated through the hips during a swing.
“There are really not many changes happening as far the actual Tommy John procedure. Frank Jobe devised the original surgery and then I modified it. And despite it being the most common procedure used for ulnar collateral ligament (UCL) reconstruction, major issues remain as far as the timing of return to play. Traditionally, it was a year before a player could return to play; then we pushed it to 10 months and there were a lot of failures. It’s downright scary when you have a professional baseball pitcher going back in for the first time and he blows out his elbow again. Now the standard is 15 months for return to play, in part because agents are more involved now, and are also concerned about reinjury.
“We need to continue to address UCL injuries in adolescent pitchers. The biggest gray area surrounds the fact that young pitchers are still growing…the cartilage around the growth plates is soft. Should we let them pitch at all when the growth plates are still open? Also, when they recover from Tommy John surgery should they pitch off of flat ground? Some physicians believe that pitching on a mound increases the force on the elbow.”
Dr. Altchek notes that he is a consultant to Motus.
Gold Seal Maintainer: Northwest Medical Center!
What is a 300-bed facility in Arizona doing so well that it has kept the Joint Commission’s Gold Seal of Approval for several years? “Striving for excellence, ” says Thomas Scully, M.D., a neurosurgeon with the Tucson-based facility.
Dr. Sculy told OTW, “Northwest Medical Center became the first hospital in Arizona to achieve Disease Specific Certification in Total Joint Replacement for Hip and Total Joint Replacement for Knee on February 4, 2010. We were also the first to be certified in spine on April 19, 2012. Our Joint Commission Gold Seal for spine is a combination effort between Neurosurgery and Orthopedics. Furthermore, we have remained the only hospital in Arizona to be certified in all three areas.
“Northwest Medical Center is most proud of the involvement of the multi-disciplinary teams that work within our patient programs to ensure we follow national guidelines and track patient outcomes. We focus on performance improvement on all levels of care. We are consistently reviewing practice guidelines and outcome data to ensure our practice is meeting national standards and is following evidenced based care.
Asked what takes to maintain the Gold Seal, Dr. Scully noted, “To maintain the Gold Seal presented by the Joint Commission for Disease Specific Certification it requires daily tracking of patients preoperatively, intra-operatively, and post-operatively. We track pre-op functional status, outcome functional status (flexion, extension), surgical site infections, patient education, early mobilization and distance walked, antibiotic administration, length of stay, and readmissions. We focus on performance improvement to ensure all measures meet or beat national standards.
“Northwest Medical Center has instituted organizations such as Marshall-Steele to review our processes and allow us to evaluate our outcomes with the region and nation. This allows us to improve practice conditions for physicians and staff.”
