Since 2006, the AAOS, along with the Orthopaedic Trauma Association (OTA) and the Society of Military Orthopaedic Surgeons (SOMOS), has sponsored a series of symposia focusing on the impact of traumatic extremity injuries sustained by fighters and civilians in Operation Iraqi Freedom and Operation Enduring Freedom. These Extremity War Injury (EWI) symposia have served to define current knowledge regarding management of extremity war injuries for the National Institutes of Health, Congress, the Department of Defense, orthopaedic surgeons, researchers, industry, and other relevant governmental agencies.

On Jan. 21–23, 2009, military and civilian orthopaedic surgeons, researchers, government, and other invited medical specialties will participate in EWI IV: Collaborative Efforts in Research, Host Nation Care and Disaster Preparedness. The symposium will address macro-level issues including synergizing research efforts, advocating host nation care, and advancing disaster preparedness efforts in the United States.

Under the direction of principal investigators Andrew N. Pollak, MD, and COL James R. Ficke, MD, sessions will provide status reports and research updates on the Armed Forces Institute of Regenerative Medicine and other military programs and databases, as well as on the Orthopaedic Extremity Trauma Research Program. Parallel research efforts in the civilian sector will also be examined.

Two sessions will focus on host nation casualties—one examining military care and the other on care provided to host nation civilian casualties by nongovernmental organizations. The final session will examine national disaster preparedness efforts in the United States.

Links to the special issue and summary articles in the Journal of the AAOS on the Extremity War Injuries symposia can be found in the online version of this article, available at www.aaosnow.org

For more information on the Extremity War Injuries symposia, visit the Web site, www.aaos.org/ewi

Additional Links:

2006 AAOS/OTA Extremity War Injuries: State of the Art and Future Directions http://www.aaos.org/research/Committee/research/symposia/symp_06a.asp

JAAOS Special Issue: Extremity War Injuries: State of the Art and Future Directions (September 2006) http://www.jaaos.org/content/vol14/issue10/index.dtl

2007 AAOS/OTA Extremity War Injuries II: Development of Clinical Treatment Principles http://www.aaos.org/research/Committee/research/symposia/symp_07a.asp

JAAOS Summary Article: Extremity War Injuries: Development of Clinical Treatment Principles (October 2007) http://www.jaaos.org/cgi/content/full/15/10/590

2008 AAOS/OTA/SOMOS Extremity War Injuries III: Challenges in Definitive Reconstruction http://www.aaos.org/research/Committee/research/symposia/ewi_iii.asp

AAOS Now (March 2008): EWI III Continues a Tradition http://www.aaos.org/news/aaosnow/mar08/reimbursement2.asp

2009 AOS/OTA/SOMOS Extremity War Injuries IV Research Symposiumhttp://www.aaos.org/research/Committee/research/symposia/ewi_iv.asp