Jan A.N. Verhaar, MD, PhD

At the upcoming EFORT Congress in Vienna, orthopaedic and trauma surgeons will once again share their professional knowledge and experiences in the hope of improving the quality of care and outcomes of treatment for their patients. The main theme of the congress in Vienna is “Sports activities and orthopaedic practice.” Many orthopaedic and trauma surgeons are looking forward to our high-quality annual meeting, which is one way we better prepare ourselves to handle the expected orthopaedic and trauma pathology that presents to our practices.

When one of the world’s largest orthopaedic companies purchases a company that produces robotic arms used in orthopaedic surgery for $1.65 billion, it is clear robotic surgery will be a trending topic at orthopaedic and trauma congresses in the future.

The unexpected result of the referendum on leaving the European Union is still sending shockwaves through the financial and political systems of the United Kingdom. It is still too early to know the full impact this will have on the NHS because of doubt on the timing and terms of Britain’s exit. However, concerns are already being expressed of its effects on increasing shortages in medical and nurse staffing.

It will be a pleasure to receive many European orthopaedic and trauma surgeons, residents and scientists, as well as several colleagues and friends from other continents at the 18th EFORT Annual Congress in Vienna. During the years, an increasing number of fellow professionals from Asia, Australia, South and North America, and Africa, have found their way to Europe’s largest and most international orthopaedic meeting: the EFORT Congress. Europe is the historical heart and soul of the practice of orthopaedic and traumatology surgery. Sharing our experiences in the treatment of patients with colleagues from around the globe is for us, therefore, a responsibility, as well as a pleasure.

In European countries that are members of the European Union, the organization and delivery of health care is the responsibility of each state. For that reason, medical specialist training is primarily national orientated and national rules and regulations prevail. The influence of Brussels on training is limited and the implementation of E.U. directives is slow.

What would happen if the U.S Secretary of Health met the Minister of Health of Norway and the topic was total knee replacement and patellar replacement, in particular? With more than 600,000 TKRs done per year in the United States and an estimated cost of $300 U.S. for a patellar button, about $150 million U.S. could be saved annually by not using a patellar button, the Norwegian health minister would probably say.