Mary I. O'Connor, M.D.

My research efforts focus on both joint replacement surgery of the hip and knee and limb salvage surgery for bone and soft tissue tumors. I am also interested in way of improving the process of care delivery to make health care both more affordable and safer.

I have been very interested in the use of computer-assisted navigation to improve surgical technique in knee replacement surgery and have done original research on this topic as detailed below. My research is expanding to the next advancement in computer assisted navigation: robotically assisted surgery in partial knee replacements.

1. My partner, Dr. Mark Brodersen, and I have completed a study on computer assisted navigation in total knee arthroplasty and preparing the manuscript for publication. Our findings showed that the use of navigation improved the likelihood of better limb alignment in patients undergoing surgery.
2. With the assistance of our anesthesia colleagues, Dr. Brodersen and I also studied whether use of computer assisted navigation in knee replacement surgery decreased the risk of patients having fat emboli (normal fat and bone marrow going from the knee bones to the lung during the course of the knee replacement surgery). We did not see a benefit with navigation.
3. With our practice advancing to the use of robotically assisted surgery for partial knee replacements, we will study the "learning curve" of surgeons as they learn this new technique as well as patient outcomes and satisfaction.

My practice as an orthopedic oncologist (tumor surgeon) is one of the most rewarding and most challenging aspects of my practice. We need continued research into how to better perform limb salvage surgery on patients with a focus on making the reconstructions we perform last for decades and function well.

1. My mentor, Dr. Franklin H. Sim, and I wrote a landmark medical paper on the Mayo experience with limb salvage for cancerous pelvis tumors in 1989. I am now serving as a mentor to a promising young orthopedic oncologist, Dr. Courtney Sherman, who is assisting me with the 20 year follow-up study on these patients. Such long term studies are difficult to do and not commonly performed, yet of critical importance to our understanding of how these treatments have worked.

We must learn how to improve our health care processes. We strive to provide the best value for our patients: the highest quality of care and the lowest cost. I have chaired our recent Lean project to reduce waste in our total joint program.

1. Mr. Michael Vizzini and I are publishing our experience with the addition of non-operative musculoskeletal physicians to our orthopedic department. We showed that these physicians provide excellent musculoskeletal care to patients and, when appropriate, promptly involve a surgical partner. Patient and referring physician satisfaction were very high.
2. My current fellow, Dr. Joel Tucker, and I are engaged in a research study to look at use of a medicine to decrease the need for blood transfusion after total hip and knee replacement surgery. If positive, this study may lead to improved safety for patients and lower health care costs.