MDNews - Long Island

are specific needs, including food, personal care items, places to sleep — anything a guardian may require — that must be provided for, which is a unique difference between pediatric and adult care. This is part of what we deliver; we attend to families' needs as well as those of our patients." Similar consideration is taken for geriatric patients. "This population requires a very expe- rienced cadre of medical professionals, including orthopedists, internal medicine specialists, cardiologists, anesthesiologists, physical therapists, discharge planners and physician assistants," says Sam Barzideh, MD, FAAOS, Director of the Fragility Fracture Service, Assistant Director of Orthopedic Trauma Services and Director of Orthopedic Informatics at Winthrop-University Hospital. "We work as a team and identify the salient features of each case, making that information as clear as possible for all involved in the medical care of our patients. This enhances com- munication between what can be a large team of medical providers treating a single patient. It also ensures patients and families are abreast of the situation." The Fragility Fracture Service Often, elderly patients who suffer traumatic injuries also have multiple comorbidities, underscoring the impor- tance of multispecialty care. The Fragility Fracture Service takes these needs into account while tending patients who have experienced fragility fractures — any fracture that results from a fall from standing height, says Dr. Barzideh, who is also an Assistant Professor of Orthopedic Surger y at Stony Brook University School of Medicine. "Many of these patients are between 60 and 90 years old," he says. "These patients ty pically require different approaches to orthopedic care and hospitalization than the younger popula- tion because they are fragile and have limited biological reserves and quite a "The Fragility Fracture Service helps busy community physicians who may not be able to leave their office to visit patients in the hospital. We provide medical coverage in the hospital and maintain constant communication to make sure primary care physicians are up-to-date on their patient's condition." — Sam Barzideh, MD, FAAOS, Director of the Fragility Fracture Service, Assistant Director of Orthopedic Trauma Services and Director of Orthopedic Informatics at Winthrop-University Hospital Dr. Gould discusses a successful orthopedic surgical technique, designed to lengthen or straighten bone and soft tissue, with a patient. Dr. Barzideh and Dr. Gaffney secure a tourniquet into place. SPECIAL CLINICAL SECTION: ORTHOPEDICS M D N E W S . CO M n MD NEWS Long Island | 1 5

• Cover