Orthopaedic Surgery research

The Department of Orthopaedic Surgery provides the full range of general and sub-specialised orthopaedic clinical services across the breadth of the specialty. 

The Alfred is a level 1 Trauma Centre and, as such, the department has a strong research interest in orthopaedic trauma.

We contribute to the Victorian Orthopaedic Trauma Outcomes Registry (VOTOR) overseen by Monash University. Collaborations across the participating centres have led to several clinical projects. The department also participates in a number of international, multicentre, randomised, controlled trials (RCTs).

In 2014 we continued our strong collaboration with McMaster University in Canada in three of their international, multicentre RCTs. We continue to recruit into HEALTH (hip fracture evaluation using the alternatives of total hip arthroplasty versus hemi-arthroplasty), which investigates treatment for displaced femoral neck fractures.

We await the adjudication process in FAITH (fixation using alternative implants for the treatment of hip fractures), which looks at what is better for undisplaced femoral neck fractures – a sliding hip screw or three cancellous screws. We await the results from FLOW (fluid lavage of open wounds), which will give us the evidence for the type of irrigant and delivery pressure to use in open fractures.

We are planning to participate in FAITH2, which adds vitamin D versus placebo, and HipATTACK which randomises hip fracture patients to rapid care (within 6 hours) or the standard care pathway, which in our case is on average 13 hours.

VOTOR continues to accrue data with a 12-month follow up rate consistently above 90% and a number of projects across four different research streams currently under way. Our most recent project is examining the effect of non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) on fracture healing.

Postgraduate students

1 Masters of Surgery student

For more information about this department's research activities, contact the Department of Orthopaedic Surgery.

Publications

Is antibiotic treatment effective in the management of chronic low back pain with disc herniation? Study protocol for a randomised controlled trial

Urquhart DM, Rosenfeld JV, van Tulder M, Wluka AE, Leder K, Cheng AC, Forbes AB, Chan P, O'Sullivan R, Liew S, Cicuttini FM

(2021), Trials, 22(1), 759

DOI: 10.1186/s13063-021-05728-1

Fixation using Alternative Implants for the Treatment of Hip Fractures (FAITH-2): The Exploratory Health-Related Quality of Life and Patient-Reported Functional Outcomes of a Multi-Centre 2 × 2 Factorial Randomized Controlled Pilot Trial in Young Femoral Neck Fracture Patients

Slobogean GP, Sprague S, Bzovsky S, Scott T, Thabane L, Heels-Ansdell D, O'Toole RV, Howe A, Gaski GE, Hill LC, Brown KM, Viskontas D, Zomar M, Della Rocca GJ, O'Hara NN, Bhandari M; FAITH-2 Investigators

(2021), Injury, 52(10), 3051-9

DOI: 10.1016/j.injury.2021.02.030

Benchmarking physiotherapists' usual care for total hip and knee joint arthroplasty in Australia and New Zealand

Hart J, Tarrant K, Liew S, Kimmel L

(2021), New Zealand Journal of Physiotherapy, 49(2), 99-112

DOI: 10.15619/NZJP/49.2.06

View all publications for Orthopaedic Surgery research