@TheScrubSink
- Alec Denes, MD
- Jul 17, 2018
- 2 min read
Each surgery day starts with a ritual: hands and forearms are meticulously scrubbed, while some "water-cooler" conversation flows among my surgical team. Here are a few thoughts, topics, and trends that were on my mind this week @TheScrubSink.
1. Last week was the Annual Meeting of the AOSSM (American Orthopaedic Society for Sports Medicine), in sunny San Diego. One hot topic of interest this year was orthobiologics, which are treatments derived from biologic cells and tissues, rather than synthetic substances or surgery. Another was cartilage repair, which is trending towards more bulk grafting and away from things like micro fracture; see this article about cartilage surgery in NBA athletes. Lastly, but certainly not least, was the always-evolving field of arthroscopic hip surgery.
2. Public electric scooters. Apparently the latest offshoots of the bike-sharing programs that are popular worldwide, are the E-scooter startups Bird and Lime-S. These dock-less, publicly-shared electric scooters were all over the place in San Diego: families zipping down the boardwalk, couples riding tandem out to happy hour, and a flock of Bird scooters awaiting their next rider outside the hotel lobby. A perfect way to navigate a flat waterfront area of town with a little wind in your face... for certain trips, those seem so much better than Uber.
3. Sports Medicine Licensure Clarity Act. As the Oregon representative on the AOSSM's Council of Delegates, I am proud to report some progress on the political advocacy front. Under current law, many states do not provide legal protection for sports medicine providers who travel with their team to another state. This bill would ensure that these medical professionals are adequately covered by their liability insurance when traveling with their team to another state. This, in turn, would provide for timely and seamless medical treatment for injured athletes, by the providers who best know their medical histories and who are capable of continuing care when they return home. The House of Representatives passed a similar version of this bill in Jan. 2017, and the Senate HELP committee unanimously referred the bill out on June 26, 2018 for consideration during the current legislative session. Please contact your Senator in support of S.808!