Orthopaedic doctors and researchers at Atrium Health have received two grants totaling nearly $5 million from the Department of Defense to study the most effective treatments for distal femur and heel fractures.

A $2.4 million grant will support a four-year, randomized clinical trial that will examine patient outcomes following calcaneus fractures, more commonly called heel fractures, treated with two different surgical procedures. Dr. Jarrod Dumpe, an orthopaedic trauma surgeon at Atrium Health Navicent, associate professor of surgery at Mercer University and director of orthopaedic research, will serve as the principal investigator at Atrium Health Navicent.

“Heel fractures typically occur with falls from heights. We treat a lot of roofing falls and bucket truck falls. Because we are the level 1 trauma center for central and south Georgia, we also see falls from tree stands during hunting season, as well a heel fractures associated with car wrecks on our local interstate system,” Dumpe said. “Heel fractures are challenging to treat, because of the loading impact from falls.”

A second $2.5 million grant will support a four-year, randomized clinical trial to study whether a single implant or a dual implant fixation repair of distal femur fractures is more effective. These injuries can occur from falls, especially in cases with osteoporosis in older patients, but they are also seen with substantial trauma such as car or motorcycle accidents.

Both trials are led by researchers at Wake Forest University School of Medicine and are being conducted at multiple sites across the southeast and with partners across the country, including Atrium Health Carolinas Medical Center, Atrium Health Wake Forest Baptist in Winston-Salem, North Carolina and Atrium Health Cabarrus in Concord, North Carolina.

“I’m thankful for Dr. Joseph Hsu, Dr. Rachel Seymour, Dr. Larry Kempton and Dr. Meghan Walley and their team in the Carolinas for applying for these grants,” Dumpe said.

Prior to joining Atrium Health Navicent, Dumpe was stationed at Joint Base San Antonio, the Department of Defense’s only level I trauma center, and served as the medical director of orthopaedic surgery at Wilford Hall Ambulatory Surgical Center. He served as assistant professor of surgery at the Uniformed Services University of the Health Sciences and was faculty at San Antonio Military Medical Center’s Department of Orthopaedic Surgery combined Army/Air Force residency program.

Atrium Health Navicent Chief Medical Officer Dr. Patrice Walker.