Orthopaedic Institute

Orthopaedic Institute

The Orthopaedic Institute and University Orthopaedic Surgeons are dedicated to providing quality, safe, and patient centered care through a comprehensive range of orthopaedic services.  UT Medical Center is the region’s only Level I Trauma Center.  We care for a wide range of orthopaedic injuries from minor fractures to the most complex orthopedic injuries.  We also manage and treat orthopaedic problems of the shoulder, elbow, hands, hips, knees, ankle, and feet.  Our multidisciplinary team delivers exceptional care by utilizing the most advanced skills, interventions and treatments in East Tennessee.

The Orthopaedic Institute and University Orthopaedic Surgeons have dedicated 6 operating rooms and surgical staff to exclusively treat our orthopaedic surgical patients 24/7.

Joint Replacement Center

The Joint Replacement Center is a 30-bed unit. Our specialty is caring for patients with total hip, knee, and shoulder replacements.  We consider our unit a “well unit” meaning all of our patients elect to be here and are not “sick.” Our joint patients’ length of stay is 2-3 days.  Although we consider all of our patients to be “well,” some do have chronic medical issues that need attention. In this case, internal medicine doctors are consulted.

We have a very involved multidisciplinary team including physicians, registered nurses, certified nursing assistant, health unit coordinators, physical therapists, case management, and occupational therapists.  Our joint replacement patients have an extensive physical therapy program. There are two physical therapy sessions each day. In the morning patients work with therapists during an individual session and in the afternoon, patients are brought together in our joint zone for a group therapy session.

We are grateful to be a part of these patients’ healing process after surgery. We hope to touch our patient’s lives and help them on the road to a better more functional life.

Orthopedic Trauma

Orthopedic Trauma is a 30-bed unit with capability for up to 8 telemetry beds. Our team consists of registered nurses (RN’s), certified nursing assistants (CNA’s), health unit coordinators, orthopedic technicians, and a case manager. We maintain a strong commitment to providing excellent customer service as well as ensuring our patients and families receive the highest quality of care.

Our population primarily consists of patients with various bone fractures resulting from trauma. However, the typical trauma patient usually has a variety of injuries that accompany the fracture. Therefore, our staff must be proficient in caring for fractures as well as multisystem traumatic injuries. We also remain aware of the emotional aspect resulting from a traumatic experience and provide our patients and families with the emotional support they need.

Our most frequent patient populations are:

• Traumatic orthopedic injuries
• Hip fractures (primarily from geriatric population)
• Trauma from MVA, motorcycle accidents, GSW, falls, etc.

Orthopedic trauma patients’ keep our floor exciting and constantly changing as no two trauma patients are alike. We are excited about our journey in becoming the regions first Fracture Care Center. We are committed to providing excellent customer service while maintaining high quality care to ensure the best outcome for our patients.