Orthopedic Trauma Team with TidalHealth

SALISBURY, Md. – In this week’s edition of Health Beat, brought to you by TidalHealth, WMDT spoke with Dr. Florian Huber, a dedicated orthopedic trauma surgeon who’s been serving Delmarva since 2008, and Jessica Dunn, a physician assistant (PA) with TidalHealth Peninsula Orthopedic Institute.

Dr. Huber and Dunn shared with WMDT what goes into supporting a trauma patient population. Orthopedic trauma is defined as an unplanned event that would encompass an injury to a bone, joint, or the surrounding tissues, and can range from a fracture in a finger to a clean break in a femur.

“The treatment of a trauma patient usually starts in the field when they’re first assessed by EMS providers,” Dr. Huber said. “And when you arrive in the emergency department, we will rapidly assess your life and limb threatening injuries — whether that’s operatively in the operating room, or non operatively with cast treatment.”

Dunn tells us that a major part of providing care to patients is the teamwork that goes into the recovery process. TidalHealth’s Orthopedic Trauma Team includes surgeons, PAs, nurses, nursing assistances, physical therapists, and care coordinators, all of whom collaborate to provide care to patients.

Plus, orthopedic trauma care has gotten easier with significant advances in the imaging and surgical fields.

“There’s been significant advances in implant technology; this will lead to more stable fixation, earlier use, quicker recovery,” Dr. Huber concluded. “Most injuries can be treated locally, and you’ll be in good hands from the time you arrive until you’re fully recovered.”