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Globally, around 400 people in every million head of population will present with a fracture of the tibia that requires surgical intervention. This case study describes the exploitation of research that commenced with a DTI/EPSRC grant. The results have a direct impact on the 400/million population, their family, employers, and associated healthcare providers.
During the period 2008-today:
over 200 surgeons in 10 countries have been retrained in the new methodology; between 2000-3000 patients have benefited from improved outcomes; 47 hospitals benefited from reduced operating times and reduced costs; and surgeons benefit from a marked reduction in per-operative x-ray exposure (reducing the risk of cancer).
The initial project was to identify the optimum movement of the fracture fragments to promote healing; this was to lead to devices with the potential for significant impact. A spin out company was formed which has attracted over £1.4 million investment.