Fixing a Fractured Pelvis from Lee Memorial Health System on Vimeo.

It can happen to anyone, anytime – a traumatic car crash. One local police officer knows that first hand. His pelvis was shattered earlier this year, and his road to recovery is almost complete thanks to orthopedic trauma surgery.

Law enforcement officer Oscar Basora was working a call when his car veered off the road and into a tree.

“When that happened it sent the weight of my body forward and my right knee struck the dashboard. And apparently in doing so it put a lot of pressure on the femur bone and on the pelvis causing my pelvis to fracture,” says Basora.

He was rushed to the trauma center at Lee Memorial Hospital. His hip was dislocated; his socket was shattered. Trauma doctors stabilized Basora, but his broken bones needed help.

“Our trauma surgeons had put the hip back in place but still had the broken part of the hip socket to deal with. And that’s where I became involved,” says Dr. Patrick Leach, an orthopedic trauma surgeon on the medical staff of Lee Memorial Health System.

Orthopedic trauma surgeons handle complex fractures, common in wrecks and accidents.

“Anything that gets a human being moving faster than we’re designed to be moving – cars, motorcycles, ATVs, dirt bikes. And particularly in Florida where we do have a large segment of the population that’s older, they get fractures a little more easily. Those are more difficult to treat because you don’t have as good of a bone stock to work with,” says Dr. Leach.

The pelvis can be a focal point for trauma injuries and a trouble spot for surgeons. To get to the fracture requires navigating through muscle, then manipulating bone fragments. An x-ray shows Basora’s pelvis today.

“The back rim of the hip socket, which would be back here, and we did an operation where we exposed that, put it all back in place, and supported it with metal plates and screws,” says Dr. Leach.

Two screws hold the bone together.

“But if we just left those, the bone would crack around it so then we support the bone by laying this plate over the top. And then screws go to normal bone above and below the fracture to hold that in place,” says Dr. Leach.

Now a man of stainless steel, Basora is back on the force and back on the road.

“Three and a half months for this type of injury, I think that’s rather quick. I’m grateful that I healed quickly,” says Basora.

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Lee Memorial Health System in Fort Myers, FL is the largest network of medical care facilities in Southwest Florida and is highly respected for its expertise, innovation and quality of care. For nearly a century, we've been providing our community with everything from primary care treatment to highly specialized care services and robotic assisted surgeries.

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About Orthopedic Specialists of SW Florida
Since opening in 2000, Orthopedic Specialists of SW Florida has grown into our area’s only group medical practice with fellowship-trained surgeons. Using the latest technology and proven techniques in orthopedic medicine, the physicians and staff of Orthopedic Specialists strive to provide the best possible care and service to patients suffering from bone, joint, muscle and back and spine problems. Its comprehensive office in Fort Myers includes foot and ankle, hand and upper extremity, joint replacement, spine and sports medicine centers of excellence along with a physical medicine and rehabilitation program and physical, occupational and hand therapy. The office is located at 2531 Cleveland Avenue, Suite 1, in Ft. Myers. For more information or to schedule an appointment, visit www.osswf.com, or call 239-334-7000.

Designed to be a “landmark” for patient recognition, the “Contemporary” design style employs colorful painted stucco forms, expressive shapes and massing, offset planes, and repetitive patterns which create diversity and continuity within the modern theme. By incorporating curved forms in both plan and elevation, and integrating layered wall planes and surfaces at varying heights extending above the roof plan help to create visual interest while expressing the essence of this modern medical/surgical facility.

When completed, this 11,200 square foot State of Florida licensed ambulatory surgery center will house three (3) operating rooms with essential life-support and functional facilities. Stevens Construction from Fort Myers is the General Contractor for the project.

Located in Fort Myers since 1992, Christopher J. Lee Architects, Inc. specializes in providing quality services in commercial architecture including designs for many privately owned medical offices and dental facilities, and over 10 facility projects licensed under the State of Florida Agency for Health Care Administration, and recently received a 2011 Lee BIA Summit Award for Best Non-Built Healthcare Design for this project.

 About Orthopedic Specialists of SW Florida

Since opening in 2000, Orthopedic Specialists of SW Florida has grown into our area’s only group medical practice with fellowship-trained surgeons.  Using the latest technology and proven techniques in orthopedic medicine, the physicians and staff of Orthopedic Specialists strive to provide the best possible care and service to patients suffering from bone, joint, muscle and back and spine problems. Its comprehensive office in Fort Myers includes foot and ankle, hand and upper extremity, joint replacement, spine and sports medicine centers of excellence along with a physical medicine and rehabilitation program and physical, occupational and hand therapy.   The office is located at 2531 Cleveland Avenue, Suite 1, in Ft. Myers.  For more information or to schedule an appointment, visit www.osswf.com, or call 239-334-7000.