Dr. Alexander Sah Named to American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons' (AAOS) Leadership Fellows Program

Medical Co-Director of Institute for Joint Replacement and Research Also Presents Research Studies at AAOS Annual Meeting; Moderates Symposium at Hip & Knee Surgeons Annual Meeting

The American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons (AAOS) has named Alexander Sah, MD, to the 2016-2017 AAOS Leadership Fellows Program (LFP). Co-Director of Washington Hospital’s Institute for Joint Replacement and Research (IJRR), Dr. Sah is one of only 10 specialists in the nation to be selected for the prestigious program.

The LFP identifies future leaders and combines instructional and experiential leadership training to prepare fellows for greater roles of leadership. In addition, fellows are matched with an established leader within the AAOS who serves as a mentor throughout the program. The LFP’s goal is to encourage outstanding young orthopaedic surgeons to share their knowledge, standards and techniques to improve the field of orthopaedic surgery.

“I am honored to be chosen for this opportunity to participate in the leadership program sponsored by the AAOS,” Dr. Sah notes. “This experience will provide not only extended contact with peers and mentors in orthopaedics, but also with a means of sharing the research and experience of the IJRR with colleagues within our community and across the nation. It is a privilege to represent the Washington Hospital IJRR and the community in this way.”

Dr. Sah also recently shared abstracts of research conducted at the IJRR with other physicians attending the AAOS annual meeting, March 1-5, in Orlando, Florida:

• Medical Co-Director of the IJRR John Dearborn, MD, presented joint research with Dr. Sah, discussing the results of a randomized trial of two different types of cement used in knee replacement surgeries. The purpose of the study was to evaluate how bones respond to the different types of cement during the hardening process. Further evaluation is ongoing to determine the clinical implications of the research findings.
• Dr. Sah shared another randomized study of “barbed” knotless, dissolving sutures compared to standard sutures in patients who had total knee replacements. The knotless sutures have tiny “barbs” that eliminate the need to tie knots at the ends of the suture to secure it in place. In this study, the barbed knotless suture closure of wounds was faster, had fewer suture breakages, and was more watertight than standard sutures.
• The purpose of a third study by Dr. Sah was to evaluate 150 of his total knee replacement patients who were mobilized to walk the evening of their surgery, compared to 150 patients who were not walked the evening of their surgery. Dr. Sah reported that knee range of motion was greater in the early mobilization group at time of discharge, and over 70 percent of these patients were able to go home the morning following surgery.

Dr. Sah, who also is Medical Director of the Outpatient Joint Replacement Program, recently spoke at and moderated a symposium at the American Association of Hip and Knee Surgeons’ 25th Annual Meeting in November 2015 in Dallas, Texas: “Same-day Surgery: The Road to Outpatient Total Joint Replacement.” Here, he shared his techniques and protocols for more rapid discharge after joint replacement.

“Our community hospital based program here at Washington Hospital has gained regional and national acclaim, providing our research results and education to other physicians across the country,” Dr. Sah observes. “Having the IJRR active in research and national organizations such as AAOS is definitely a benefit for the people in our community because we continually improve the quality of patient care through these experiences. Plus, our local facility is making a difference in improving the quality of joint replacement surgeries throughout the country.”