Woman ‘loves’ surgeon for her second lease on lifeMartha Gurjack was ready to give up on life when back problems forced her to quit the family activities she loved so much and made her depend on others for grocery shopping, laundry and cooking.

“I did not want to live,” says the 77-year-old St. Clair Shores woman.

She had tried steroid injections and physical therapy with no success. One Sunday in January, the back problems left her unable to walk, and Martha’s son took her to the Emergency Center at Beaumont Hospital in Grosse Pointe. It was there that she met with Samer Saqqa, D.O., a spine surgeon who recently had joined the orthopedic surgery staff (see related story, below).

“I think maybe God sent him,” she says.

An MRI showed that Martha had spinal stenosis in her lower back, a narrowing of the space around the spinal cord. The condition puts pressure on the spinal cord and the spinal nerve roots, and can cause pain, numbness, or weakness in one or both legs. It’s estimated that 2.4 million Americans will be affected by lower back spinal stenosis by 2021.

Dr. Saqqa told Martha and her children that he thought he could help her.

“He came into the room, and explained what was wrong with my back and what he would like to do with it if I gave him the chance,” Martha says.

The doctor performed a minimally invasive laminectomy in January to open up the spinal cord space.

“She had almost immediate relief,” says Dr. Saqqa. “(At the first postoperative appointment) she came in crying and hugged me and said she loved me because I gave her a second lease on life. It’s a clear story of how a classic surgery can help.”

Martha recalls the day after her surgery, when she got up from her hospital bed to walk with a walker. “There were people in the hallway clapping because they saw how I was before surgery,” she says.

By March, Martha had completed inpatient rehabilitation and home physical therapy and was looking forward to resuming the activities she loves so much – meals out with family, shopping with her daughter and attending her grandchildren’s sports activities.

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New spine specialist familiar to BeaumontBeaumont Hospital, Grosse Pointe has an orthopedic surgeon dedicated to spine surgery with the recent addition of Samer Saqqa, D.O., to staff.

Dr. Saqqa, a graduate of the orthopedic surgery residency at Genesys Regional Medical Center in Grand Blanc, Mich., is familiar with Beaumont Health System, having trained with the foot and ankle service at Royal Oak as a resident. Following residency, Dr. Saqqa completed subspecialty fellowship training in spine surgery at the

Texas Back Institute in Plano, Texas.

“I’m happy to be back at Beaumont,” says Dr. Saqqa (see related story, above). “I hope to offer my spine care expertise, along with the resources available within the hospital system, for the better health of the residents in our coverage area.”

Martha Gurjack works on post-surgical gait training at her home with Beaumont physical therapist Sanju Koithara.

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Women in orthopedics mentor aspiring young women at BeaumontWomen are making progress in their pursuit of traditionally male careers like engineering and orthopedic surgery, but few would argue there is more to be done.

To spark interest among young women in these male-dominated fields, Beaumont’s Department of Orthopedic Surgery was the first in the Midwest to become involved with the Perry Outreach Program in 2012.

The Perry Outreach Program is a hands-on Saturday program for high school women. The program includes brief presentations from orthopedic surgeons and research engineers who describe their day-to-day activities. Participants then spend the day performing simulated orthopedic surgery tasks, including knee

ligament reconstruction, suturing, casting and complex fracture repair.

At the end of the program, participants are introduced to mentorship opportunities through which they can continue pursuing their interest.

The program was created by the Perry Initiative, a national nonprofit organization named in honor of Jacquelin Perry, M.D., one of the first female orthopedic surgeons. The mission of the Perry Initiative is to inspire young women to pursue careers in orthopedic surgery and engineering.

The Beaumont program has been hosted annually at the Marcia & Eugene Applebaum Surgical Learning Center at Beaumont Hospital, Royal Oak since 2012. Every year, 36 women are selected from at least twice the number of applicants. There are currently over 100 graduates of Beaumont’s program.

“How better to judge if it might be a career fit than to spend a day here with professionals from those fields?” asks Rachel Rohde, M.D., Beaumont orthopedic hand and upper extremity surgeon, who co-directs the Perry Outreach Program with Erin Baker, M.S. “These young ladies are curious and eager to learn about the vast opportunities that exist for them as surgeons and researchers. I think they also appreciate seeing that it is possible to balance this kind of career and family goals.”

To learn more about the Perry Initiative, the Perry Outreach Program, or if you know a young woman interested in applying to the 2015 program, please visit www.perryinitiative.org.

Can research make shoulder replacements better?Might research at Beaumont lead to better reverse total shoulder implants – also known as RTSAs – and better patient outcomes?

The answer is yes, and Beaumont’s shoulder surgeons are helping manufacturers improve implant design, developing better surgical techniques, expanding the types of patients who will benefit from a RTSA and even incorporating personalized medicine for people with unusually shaped bones.

“Beaumont is among the highest volume shoulder joint replacement centers in the world. We have performed thousands of RTSAs since the procedure was approved by the FDA 10 years ago,” says shoulder and elbow orthopedic surgeon Michael Wiater, M.D. “Our extensive experience gives us considerable insight into the pre- and post-surgical care of our patients.”

In the body, the ball-shaped top of the upper arm bone fits into a cup-shaped part of the shoulder. Typical shoulder replacements mimic this design and replace the parts that are worn with similarly shaped implants. However, if the tendons that normally stabilize the shoulder joint are torn, these typical replacements will not work and a different solution might be needed. That’s where the reverse total shoulder implant helps. In this case, the cup-shaped implant fits onto the top of the upper arm bone and a ball-shaped prosthesis is attached to the shoulder bone .

Beaumont was one of the first centers in the United States to offer RTSA, and as a result of research and tracking experience, Beaumont surgeons have published in peer-reviewed journals and presented at national and international meetings the results of their research in RTSA outcomes and implant designs. In fact, Beaumont orthopedic surgeons

Consider the numbers:• Only about one in

20 orthopedic surgeons are women.

• Only one in 10 medical school orthopedic surgery and engineering school faculty members are women.

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Shannon Carpenter, M.D., orthopedic resident, works with high school participants.

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Seven Beaumont orthopedic surgeons gave lectures or presented results of their research in March at the Annual Meeting of the American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons. This is the premier meeting for the orthopedic surgery community, attended by more than 14,000 specialists from around the world.

Ira Zaltz, M.D., gave four presentations related to his expertise in hip socket development and reconstruction and regarding hip problems in adolescent athletes.

Other research topics presented by Beaumont surgeons included:• Improving healing of the rotator cuff

(Kyle Anderson, M.D.)• Techniques for reviewing medical journal

articles (Jeffrey Fischgrund, M.D.)

• Reducing blood loss in total hip replacement (Lige Kaplan, M.D.)

• New imaging techniques for spine discs (Daniel Park, M.D.)

• Outcomes and laboratory analyses of reverse total shoulder replacement (see related story, page 2) and surgery to replace the ball part of the shoulder (Michael Wiater, M.D.)

Special recognition was given to a project presented by Brett Wiater, M.D., related to the study of failed reverse total shoulder replacements. This research – guided by principal investigator Dr. Michael Wiater – was nominated for a Neer Award, which recognizes outstanding contributions to the understanding, care or prevention of injuries to the shoulder and elbow.

Orthopedic surgeons share knowledge at top meeting

Sports medicine doctor vies to work at 2016 Rio OlympicsOrthopedic surgeon James Bicos, M.D., is a sports medicine specialist interested in the health of all athletes, whether weekend warriors or Olympic competitors. A consulting orthopedic physician for USA Diving and USA Track and Field since 2009, he served as the orthopedic team physician for USA Gymnastics during the Olympic trials in San Jose in 2012. The same year, he was named a U.S. News & World Report Top Doc and one of SportsIllustrated.com’s Top 10 Sports Surgeons. Dr. Bicos has applied to be an Olympic team doctor in Rio de Janeiro in 2016.

He completed a sports medicine fellowship at the University of Connecticut, following orthopedic surgery

and general surgery residencies at Rush University Medical Center.

One of Dr. Bicos’ patients is gymnast Bridget Sloan, 2008 Olympic silver medalist.

Dr. Bicos previously had repaired torn knee cartilage and a torn biceps tendon for Bridget, 21, when she

injured her foot days before competing in the 2011 Pan American Games in Guadalajara, Mexico.

“When we were in Guadalajara, she

cut her foot on the beam,” says Dr. Bicos. “We basically had to sew her up at our makeshift triage area so that she could compete with

that repaired foot within a few days.”

Nine months later, at the Olympic trials in San Jose, Dr. Bicos had to treat Bridget again, this time for both elbow and foot injuries.

“I do not like to tell people I’m hurting or something’s wrong,” says Bridget. “(But with Dr. Bicos,) I felt like I really didn’t need to hold in the pain. He’s just very easy to talk to.”

For Dr. Bicos, treating elite athletes can create dilemmas different from those he encounters in his everyday practice.

“The professional and Olympic athletes typically don’t take no for an answer as a treatment option,” says Dr. Bicos. “The Olympics are the most stressful because they only come around once every four years, so the athletes must compete."

For an

appointment with

an orthopedic

surgery specialist,

please call

248-551-1467.

James Bicos, M.D., with patient and gymnast Bridget Sloan.

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We appreciate your support

Orthopedic research projects at Beaumont are funded through a combination of charitable gifts,

peer-reviewed grants and industrial sponsorships. If you would like to consider making a charitable

contribution in support of a specific area of orthopedic research, or to help underwrite the purchase of

equipment used in research projects, please contact John Lewandowski

in the Beaumont Foundation at 248-964-8172 or via email at

john.lewandowski@beaumont.edu.

Jeffrey S. Fischgrund, M.D. Chairman, Department of

Orthopedic SurgeryEditors:

Rachel S. Rohde, M.D. Erin A. Baker, M.S.

Department leadership appointmentsJeffrey Fischgrund, M.D., has been appointed as chairman of the Department of Orthopedic Surgery. He succeeds Harry Herkowitz, M.D., a visionary leader, mentor, and friend until his untimely passing in 2013. Dr. Fischgrund came to Beaumont in 1993 to complete spine fellowship training under Dr. Herkowitz’s tutelage, and has served as the director of the Orthopedic Spine Fellowship since 2001. A professor of orthopedic surgery at the Oakland University William Beaumont School of Medicine, Dr. Fischgrund is the editor-in-chief of the Journal of the American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons.

Michael Wiater, M.D., has been appointed vice chairman of the Department of Orthopedic Surgery at Beaumont, Royal Oak, a position that has been held by his father, Jerome P. Wiater, M.D., for the past two decades. Dr. Michael Wiater is an associate professor at the OUWB School of Medicine and directs both the orthopedic residency program and shoulder and elbow surgery fellowship program.

He earned his medical degree at Michigan State University College of Osteopathic Medicine after completing an undergraduate degree in microbiology at the University of Michigan. A native of Kuwait, Dr. Saqqa immigrated to the United States at the age of 14 with his parents, two brothers and sister. He is fluent in Arabic.

Dr. Saqqa belongs to the American Osteopathic Academy of Orthopedics, the American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons and the North American Spine Society.

In his free time, Dr. Saqqa enjoys spending time with family and friends, mountain biking and running.

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recently presented the largest study to date of retrieved implants at the leading meeting in the world for orthopedic surgeons (see related story, page 3).

In the decade since reverse total shoulder implants were approved, Beaumont orthopedic surgeons and research engineers have been studying shoulder implants that have failed in patients due to infection, loosening or repeat dislocation. Dr. Wiater started a registry to track patients with reverse shoulders he implanted.

“Our research, especially the retrieval study, has led us to identify problems with some of the current prosthetic

designs, and has allowed us to work with manufacturers on the improved design for the next generation of shoulder implants,” says Dr. Wiater.

Dr. Wiater said the Beaumont orthopedic surgeons’ lengthy experience with RTSA has led them to expand the range of patients who would benefit from RTSA beyond those with torn rotator cuff tendons; they consider certain patients for the operation who have:• advanced shoulder arthritis• shoulder fractures that cannot

be repaired• a poorly aligned or unaligned

shoulder fracture repair

• a previous shoulder replacement that has failed

Dr. Wiater also has good news for RTSA patients with unusually shaped bones, and can offer them a personalized approach.

“Before surgery, patients with severe bony deformity can benefit from a special CT (“CAT”) scan that can be used by the surgeon and implant manufacturer to create patient-specific parts, which are then used to accurately position the implant during surgery,” he says. “This improved accuracy can increase the life span of the implant and give the patient a better result.”

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orthopedics.beaumont.edu/publications

Dr. Fischgrund Dr. Wiater