September 14, 2006

First-ever geriatric trauma conference covers topics on aging: falls, fractures and osteoporosis
September 14, 2006

St. Paul, Minn., – Regions Hospital orthopaedic medicine and surgery department and the HealthPartners Medical Group and Clinics, in partnership with the University of Minnesota, are holding their first-ever geriatric trauma summit this weekend. Experts will explore whether there's an emerging epidemic in geriatric trauma; what distinguishes the elderly patient from other patients; and what practitioners should know in caring for the aging population as injuries occur.

What: Geriatric trauma summit
When: Friday, Sept. 15 from 7 a.m. to 5 p.m.
Saturday, Sept. 16 from 8 a.m. to noon
Where: St. Paul RiverCentre

Among the more than 40 topics to be explored include:
– DEXA: Who should have a scan? What should we do with the data? Ever wonder if you should receive a DEXA scan? Expert Elie Gertner, M.D., will address this topic at 9 a.m. on Friday, Sept. 15.

–Resuscitation and decision making in geriatric multi-trauma. Hear insight first-hand from Regions director of trauma services Michael McGonigal, M.D. He presents at 10 a.m. on Friday, Sept. 15.

–Treatment of ankle fractures in the elderly. Fractures and broken bones are often associated with the aging population. Orthopaedic department head Peter Cole, M.D., will address the challenges of lower extremity fractures at 1:30 p.m. on Friday, Sept. 15.

–Nursing home falls: now what? We've all heard of an elderly person who has experienced a fall. Geriatric expert Michael Spilane, M.D., explores this topic during his 11:30 a.m. presentation on Sat., Sept. 16.

To attend a presentation or interview an expert, call 651-629-1349 (pager) and someone will respond promptly.

Regions Hospital is a Level I trauma center and teaching hospital serving Minnesota and western Wisconsin for more than 130 years. Regions is a private hospital providing outstanding care in womens health, heart, cancer, surgery, orthopaedics, burn, emergency care and more. Regions is part of the HealthPartners family of care. Additional information is available at regionshospital.com.