HSS: $10 Million for Complex Joint Reconstruction Center

Hospital for Special Surgery (HSS) in New York has received a $10 million grant from the Stavros Niarchos Foundation (SNF) to support HSS’s growing Complex Joint Reconstruction Center (CJRC).

“This generous gift will improve the lives of countless patients who suffer from debilitating complications or need revision surgery due to failed implants,” said Thomas P. Sculco, M.D., surgeon-in-chief emeritus and director of the CJRC at HSS. “We are deeply honored by the visionary leadership of the SNF in supporting our endeavor to lessen implant failure, restore function, and relieve pain for patients who need specialized joint reconstructions.”

“Having partnered with HSS for over a decade, the SNF has witnessed first-hand the deep commitment of the people of HSS to excellence and progress in orthopedic care,” said Andreas Dracopoulos, co-president of the SNF. “We are especially proud to support Dr. Sculco’s vision to improve the lives of patients with the most complex cases of joint reconstruction, and to seek solutions to issues that impact the field at large.”

According to HSS, “Over the past year, the CJRC has expanded its surgical team to 16 experienced orthopedic surgeons and successfully launched a patient registry with over 800 surgical cases already recorded. This registry is the first in the world solely dedicated to capturing vital clinical and outcomes data from patients undergoing joint reconstruction and complex primary joint replacement surgery.”

“This data creates a platform for clinical trials, translational research and innovations in treatment that will lead to improved standards of care. In 2017, the CJRC performed 534 surgeries on patients with complex joint reconstructions.”

HSS and SNF have a longstanding relationship that involves programs such as the Stavros Niarchos Foundation-Thomas P. Sculco, M.D. International Orthopaedic Fellowship Program, HSS Stavros Niarchos Foundation Orthopaedic Seminar and Academic Visitor Program to educate Greek orthopedic surgeons on ways to improve treatment and outcomes in joint replacement.

Dr. Sculco told OTW, “The most difficult cases will be treated through the Center. A recent example is a patient with bilateral failed extensor allografts and severe knee instability with 60-degree hyperextension on one knee and 45 degrees hyperextension in the other knee and marked medial lateral instability of both knees with loose knee replacements. Another example is an international patient with four previous hip operations and with severe bone loss on the acetabulum with marked protrusion and superior migration to be treated with a custom triflange acetabular component.”

“A part of the mission of the Center will be strategic research initiatives currently in periprosthetic infection and knee arthrofibrosis after knee replacement. The Center will be looking for susceptible host populations and prevention as well as best treatment options which will be evidence based derived from prospective registry data. Also, Consensus Panels will be created to try to answer complex questions in revision hip and knee replacement.”