SCIENCE AND RESEARCH

The Orthopaedic Department offers comprehensive medical and preventive care for musculoskeletal system diseases and injuries, as well as educational programs for undergraduate students on musculoskeletal disorders and injuries. Teaching at the department is designed for fifth-year general medicine students, available in both Slovak and English. Instruction methods comprise lectures, practical exercises, and seminars in orthopaedics and musculoskeletal trauma specifically for these students. The teaching team consists of the head of the department, one associate professor, four specialist assistants, and three research staff members.

The department employs 21 doctors, 60 nurses, 25 orderlies, five healthcare assistants, two documentation specialists, and two rehabilitation workers. It has a total of 60 beds, which includes 22 in the trauma department, five in the intensive care unit (ICU), and 23 in the orthopaedic department. Specifically, six beds are allocated to the isolated septic ward, and four to the postoperative unit. The department features three operating theatres — two aseptic ones within the surgical block and a separate septic operating theatre.

The department operates several outpatient facilities, including an emergency trauma outpatient clinic, a trauma recovery outpatient clinic, and two orthopaedic outpatient clinics. The clinics primarily focus on reconstructive arthroplasty of the hip and knee joints, as well as other joints. They provide comprehensive treatment for limb and pelvic injuries through stabilisation surgeries. Additionally, they offer care for patients requiring corrective surgeries for deformities or the consequences of musculoskeletal injuries, such as osteotomies, arthrodesis, arthrolysis, and other procedures. In day surgery, the clinics specialise in arthroscopic procedures, particularly for the knee and shoulder joints. They also provide extensive treatment for patients with bone and joint infections.

In 2003, the national SAR (Slovakian Arthroplasty Register) centre was established at the clinic, led by MUDr. Libor Nečas, PhD.