Trauma

Trauma

I have a particular interest in shoulder and elbow trauma and have a tertiary referral practice for this, taking patients from other units around the country for the management of complex shoulder and elbow fractures and dislocations. In addition, in my role in Tallaght Hospital, I deal with many aspects of general upper and lower limb trauma.

Shoulder and elbow trauma ranges from relatively minor injuries which can be managed with splinting and rehabilitation right up to severe, life altering injuries requiring complex reconstruction. It is rarely possible to turn back the clock on a bad injury. Nonetheless with rehab and surgery where appropriate, retrieving function to an acceptable level is usually possible.

Frequently decision making around trauma requires higher level imaging like CT and MRI. We will usually be able to advise you of this at or usually in advance of your consultation. Please bring any and all imaging you have to hand with you on the day. It is also important to advise us in advance of any splints, plasters, slings or other equipment you may have been given. If you have had surgery overseas, an operative note and pre and post-operative imaging are important. Following consultation and review of your imaging I will be able to advise you what I think would be the best course to maximise your outcome. Following trauma surgery, several post-operative clinical reviews and in some cases imaging at set intervals may be required to ensure your injury is progressing and to help guide the limits of rehabilitation.

The majority of our acute trauma surgery is done in Tallaght Hospital but we also provide trauma care where appropriate in the Blackrock Clinic and occasionally in the Sports Surgery Clinic. Some injury patterns require particular equipment to be available “on the shelf” or may need subspecialist post-operative rehabilitation.  This may dictate where your procedure would best take place. No matter which unit I do the surgery in, rest assured I will do my best to get the technical aspects of the surgery right to give you the best chance of optimising your outcome.