The Canadian Orthopaedic Trauma Society:
A Jewel of Canadian Orthopaedics

Emil H. Schemitsch, M.D., FRCSC
Editor in Chief

The Canadian Orthopaedic Trauma Society (COTS) was established more than a decade ago with a view to focusing efforts on the completion of multi-centre randomized controlled trials. It has flourished under the leadership of Drs. Ross K. Leighton, Peter J. O'Brien and others and continues to establish new levels of excellence and leadership in the area of clinical research.

The organization is recognized as the one of the foremost successful organizations in the world in this area. Recent successes include receipt of the Edwin Bovill Award from the Orthopaedic Trauma Association and the Neer Award from the American Shoulder and Elbow Surgeons, at the recent AAOS meeting in San Diego, by Dr. Michael D. McKee and the COTS group for most outstanding study. This is the fourth time in the last five years that randomized controlled trials from Canada have won the Bovill Award, an unprecedented accomplishment. Many of these trials have been published in the Journal of Bone and Joint Surgery. The SPRINT trial to evaluate reamed vs. undreamed tibial nailing has just been completed under the leadership of Dr. Mohit Bhandari and is an even larger success. This is the largest RCT dealing with a surgical intervention that has been completed in orthopaedics and will revolutionize our understanding of tibial shaft fractures. These are but a small number of the successes of this organization.

While Canadian orthopaedic traumatologists are to be lauded for these successes, much work still needs to be done. These trials are difficult to complete, particularly given a lack of the infrastructure and resources required to sustain this work in the long-term. We need to work towards making the development of this infrastructure happen. A means may be found with the Canadian Orthopaedic Research Legacy. This initiative from the Canadian Orthopaedic Foundation seeks to secure reliable long-term funding for orthopaedic research in Canada. It will allow us to continue to move forward to best practices and to promote continuous innovation. I would encourage all Canadian orthopaedic surgeons and their partners to support this initiative to allow the Canadian Orthopaedic Trauma Society and other similar groups in Canada to grow and continue doing their important work. If you are interested in supporting this initiative please contact the COA office or the Canadian Orthopaedic Foundation for further information.