University of Cape Town

Module no: 11 (Orthopaedic Surgery)

Convenor:     Prof. Robert Dunn

HOD Orthopaedic Surgery

Contact:         [e-mail] / [e-mail]

Title:                Impact of cervical spine cord injury

No. of students: 2

Type:              Clinical review

Spinal cord injury is devastating both to the patient and the community.  GSH’s Acute Spinal Cord injury Unit (ASCI) manages around 200 cases a year.

This module will allow the student to review the inpatients of the unit as to the injury and progress with the patients to the Western cape rehabilitation unit. 

They will be asked to write a review on the impact on the patients and the family’s that they are exposed to.

During this period they will be exposed to the clinical and surgical management of these patients in a world class dedicated unit

Module no: 12
Contact:                        Dr Nick Kruger

                       [e-mail]

Tel:                               0833915694  speed dial GSH  76841  rooms  021 4220699

Title:                             Patient recall mechanisms for clinical review

No. of students:            4

Type:                            Survey

Summary:  Students are to compare the various mechanisms available for clinicians to recall patients for research purposes at Groote Schuur Hospital. The normal methods of looking up patient details in the hospital folder are limited. Usually the contact numbers are out of date or incorrect or the patients have moved address or have no fixed address. This is particularly a problem with long term follow up. For the purpose of this study a select group of patients who have spinal cord injuries will be looked at and an effort made to contact them via their disability grant payment channels. All these patients will be on grants which are more regulated than the hospital records and require the patients or their helpers to physically come fetch the grants. Thus patients lost to the system may be easier to contact via this approach and this study will attempt to streamline a method of contacting them.

Module no: 13

Convenor: Dr Sithombo Maqungo and Dr Dave Chivers.

Contact: Dr S Maqungo. GSH speed-dial 76163. [e-mail]

No. of students: 2

Title: Subtrochanteric gunshot fractures outcome

after intramedullary nailing

Type: Retrospective review

Summary:

Subtrochanteric fractures as a result of gunshot injuries pose many problems to the orthopaedic surgeon regarding implant choice, fracture reduction and fracture union. Many advancements have been made regarding implants used and surgical techniques, however outcomes have yet to be evaluated. We aim to investigate the outcomes of these difficult to treat and complication prone injuries at our institution in a retrospective study. The data collected from 2004 – 2011 will enable us to make informed management decisions for subtrochanteric gunshot fractures.

In this module students will assist with data collection from theatre records. The students will also be invited to attend theatre sessions when their schedules allow to participate in intramedullary nailing of femur fractures.

This study will be presented at the annual South African Orthopaedic Society congress in 2013 and published in the South African Orthopaedic Journal.

Module no: 14
Convenor: Dr S Roche Dept of Orthopaedics

[e-mail]

No. of students: 5

Type: Review

Title: Rugby injuries - an epidemic?

Rugby injuries are increasing in number in the literature. Anecdotally there is an increase of rugby related injuries locally.

The students will be expected to do a literature search with respect to the epidemiology of these injuries. They will also be expected to contact all the local hospital emergency units on two consecutive weekends and ask if they can collect the number of the patients who present there with rugby related injuries as a percentage of the number of patients and as a percentage of sports related injuries. They will then be expected to propose a research proposal to identify the problem more clearly and as such to see if they can come up with a prevention program.
Module no: 15
Convenor: Dr S Roche Dept of Orthopaedics

[e-mail]

No. of students: 4

Type: Review

Title: Anabolic steroids as a treatment for musculoskeletal problems.

Summary: The students will be expected to review the literature on anabolic steroids with respect to their effects on the musculoskeletal system, the side effects and contraindications.

They will then interview selected patients from the orthopaedic outpatients to see whether they would be willing to take these steroids in the treatment for their orthopaedic condition after the indications /side effects and complications are explained to them.

Module no: 16 (Colorectal Surgery)

Convenor: Paul Goldberg

Paul.Goldberg@uct,ac,za

Tel: [phone]

Title: Epidemiology of colorectal cancer

No. of students: 3

Type: Retrospective study

Summary: The colorectal services at Groote Schuur Hospital treats about 150 new patients with colorectal cancer per year. We have no data about how well or poorly we manage this disease. This study will has 3 parts:

1. 
   Establishment of the basic demographics of the patients we see.
   
2. 
   Establish current delays in management from first presentation to first definitive therapy.
   
3. 
   Establish perioperative and 30 day mortality.
   

Module no: 17