Events

An International Perspective on Extremity Injury Secondary to Gun Violence

Optimizing Care and Outcomes

An International Perspective on Extremity Injury Secondary to Gun Violence: Optimizing Care and Outcomes
Organized by:
Laurent Mathieu, MD – Hôpital Percy & Ecole du Val-de-Grâce, Paris
Jennifer Moriatis Wolf, MD, PhD – University of Chicago Medicine, Chicago
Jason Strelzow, MD, FRCSC – University of Chicago Medicine, Chicago
Thursday 3 March 2022 & Friday 4 March 2022

Register here to attend in person
(6 rue Thomas Mann, Paris 13e)

Attend online DAY 1
(Zoom)

Attend online DAY 2
(Zoom)

The University of Chicago Hospital recently opened a Level I adult trauma center, resulting in subsequent increases in the number of patients presenting with trauma due to the gun violence from the neighborhoods surrounding the UChicago campus. Since the trauma center opened, it has quickly become one of the busiest centers in the city of Chicago, as well as the nation.  As orthopaedic surgeons, we are treating injuries to the upper and lower extremities secondary to gunshot injuries, including bone fractures and major nerve injuries. Evidence for optimal care of these unique injuries is primarily based on limited historic studies. Additionally, little is known about interventions that can impact physical and psychological outcomes. In North America, victims of gun violence are transported to trauma centers for stabilization, while in Europe, advanced stabilization occurs in the field prior to transfer for hospital level care.  In addition to addressing gunshot injuries, care modalities, and interventions, there is a severe lack of data regarding post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) secondary to gun violence in the US and Europe.

We propose a first of its kind international conference centered on urban ballistic extremity injuries, treatments, and outcomes. This conference would be facilitated primarily between the University of Chicago and Ecole du Val-de-Grâce, Paris, France; however, experts from North America, the Middle East, France, and Croatia will be invited to the Center in Paris to participate in discussions around novel treatments and share professional experiences. The focus of this collaborative conference will be on the epidemiology of ballistic trauma, interventions to improve nerve recovery, and mental health after gunshot violence.

Specific Aims

1) Learn whether advanced pre-hospital care of gunshot injury patients is correlated with improved functional outcomes in extremity injuries.
2) Explore the role for surgical timing and options for treatment of nerve injuries in gunshot injuries.
3) Discuss the psychological effect of ballistic injuries on victims and potential differences in management with improved social and victim recovery programs.
4) Evaluate differences in epidemiology of fracture type and nerve trauma between urban civilian ballistic injuries (Chicago) and military/terrorist ballistic injuries (Europe, Africa).
5) Address differences in epidemiology and outcomes in children vs. adults.

PROGRAM