I had been battling bone infection in my tibia for over a year.  After multiple treatments and trips to the hospital, the only course offered by my doctors at home was another attempt to “scrape the bone”, more antibiotics and a skin flap (which didn’t work).  Amputation was the only option left to do.    Desperate, I went on-line, told my story on http://www.mybrokenleg.com/ and was “found” by David and Suzanne Giaimo who lived in Atlanta, GA.  Suzanne told me Dave’s all-to-familiar story his unresolved bone infection, how they had finally found hope at http://www.osteomyelitis.com/ with doctors George Cierny, MD and Doreen DiPasquale, MD and that they were soon to be leaving to have Dave’s first surgery at their osteomyelitis treatment center in San Diego, CA.

They were right!   After submitting my information on-line using the REOrthopaedics questionnaire, I got exactly what I was looking fore: the answers to my questions, same day;  limb-salvage surgery that made sense.   Dr. Cierny knew exactly what to do, right from the start, and made it possible for me to receive state of the art treatment for my bone infection  — right now!

Thanks to Dr. Cierny , his team and David and Suzanne, I now have a fully functional leg and foot with no pain and no infection.  My family and I sincerely thank all of you for giving us our life back.

Sincerely, Yumiko Yates  /Albuquerque, New Mexico

                           OSTEOMYELITIS  OF  THE HEEL

       In August of 2006, I was in an auto accident just before my 3rd year of college. My right heel was crushed and required reconstruction with plates and screws. Shortly after the operation, my wound opened back up due to an infection caused by a resistant Staphylococcus bacteria called MRSA.  Despite four additional surgeries, antibiotics and a wound V.A.C. machine attached to my foot for months, the infection would not go away.  After 9 months, I still could not even walk without support.   

 My orthopaedic doctors then sent me to a medical center where others told me told I had a chronic osteomyelitis of my heel bone (calcaneous) and could end up with an amputation.   I was crushed.  They gave me no hope other than to name an orthopaedic surgeon( George Cierny, MD) in San Diego who specialized in bone infections and limb-salvage surgery.   The next day, we called Dr. Cierny’s office and, within two hours, he, himself, returned the call, answered our questions and told us what to do.  We filled out the consultation forms on his Web page (http://www.osteomyelitis.com/index.html), sent him pictures plus x-rays and, two weeks later, we were flying 3,000 miles to his osteomyelitis treatment center for surgery.

       First, I had a debridement, antibiotic beads, external fixation(Ilizarov frame) and a plastic surgery to transfer tissue (free flap) from my arm to my heel.  Nine weeks later, we flew back to reconstruct my heel bone with bone grafts taken from my hip.   Everything went just like Dr. Cierny said it would  and there were no complications.  In 7 months, I was pain-free, infection free and walking, once again.   The whole process was simply amazing!

       Today, my right foot looks and works great.  I am now completing nursing school and looking forward to starting a career of hope, encouraging my patients to place faith in the modern miracles of medicine. 

       Thank you Dr. Cierny, for saving my foot and giving me back my life.

       Sincerely, Lindsay Brannon / Myrtle Beach, South Carolina

  ( CLICK ON IMAGE TO ENLARGE ) 

Experience, advances in technology, new pharmaceuticals and creative treatment protocols have broadened the selection criteria for limb salvage in patients with chronic bone infections  throughout the United States and Europe.  At our osteomyelitis treatment center in San Diego,  there has been a 44% increase in the incidence of limb-salvage protocols  (92% vs 64%) offered to our new-patient referrals when compared to 1986 cohorts (see figure, above).  These protocolfo include treatment orf all types of osteomyelitis (bone infection) including:  infected fractures, infected fracture unions, infected fracture non-unions, diabetic foot infections, infections associated with pressure sores (decubitus ulcers), total joint infections, peri-prosthetic infections, infected arthroplasties, infected pathologic fractures, infection following puncture and gunshot wounds, blood-borne infections (hematogenous osteomyelitis) and septic arthritis (joint infections).  As  the figure(above)  illustrates,  our center’s  OSTEOMYELITIS TREATMENT OUTCOMES have steadily improved with experience (over time) despite there being a  concomitant and significant increase (60% vs 35%) in the percentage of compromised patients (B-hosts) entering our treatment protocols and the number of patients offered limb salvage rather than amputation or palliative treatment (designated  ”C-hosts” in the figure).       REOrthopaedics, Inc. / San Diego, CA