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36 ORTHOPEDICS Dr. Ali Baaj to build U Arizona-Banner spine program from scratch in new role By Angie Stewart S pine surgeon Ali Baaj, MD, became the inaugural chief of spine surgery at the University of Arizona College of Medicine-Phoenix and Banner-Univer- sity Medical Center Phoenix on Oct. 1. As spine surgery chief, Dr. Baaj will build a new academic spine program at UArizona-Banner. "I will work closely with the talented group of surgeons already providing quality spine care at Banner to enhance and expand our services," Dr. Baaj said. "The impact that this program, as part of the leading university and healthcare organization in Arizona, can have on the community and the region is immeasur- able." While continuing to treat complex spinal conditions with an emphasis on spinal deformity and oncology, Dr. Baaj will be tasked with aligning providers, resources and infrastructure to ensure exceptional spine care. Additionally, he serves as an associate professor in the departments of neurosur- gery and orthopedic surgery. Dr. Baaj will also be working with Ban- ner to provide educational seminars on topics such as back pain, neck pain and spine surgery. Once he settles into his new responsibili- ties, Dr. Baaj plans to initiate a prospec- tive clinical outcomes registry to study patient-reported outcomes after surgery and to conduct national training initia- tives. Previously, Dr. Baaj served as an associ- ate professor of neurological surgery and co-director of the Spinal Deformity and Scoliosis Program at Weill Cornell Medi- cal College in New York City. The editor of four textbooks on spinal surgery, he has published more than 100 abstracts and manuscripts and authored numerous book chapters. n Novel spinal fusion technique more successful than traditional approach, study finds By Alan Condon S ingle-position anterior–posterior lumbar fusion surgery has signifi- cant advantages over the traditional approach to spinal fusion, New York City-based NYU Langone Health researchers found. SPLS has led to reduced blood loss, less postoperative intestinal block- age and shorter operating room times, according to a study published in The Spine Journal Nov. 12. The novel approach positions patients on their side for the duration of the procedure, as opposed to repositioning them from their back or side to their stomach during surgery. SPLS enables surgeons to approach the spine through both the front and back, which reduces OR time and leads to a higher fusion rate, according to researchers. The study evaluated 397 procedures — 244 were performed using SPLS — between May 2012 and June 2019. Researchers found that SPLS decreased OR time by more than three hours, from an average time of 306 minutes to 103 minutes. Another study is being planned to evaluate SLPS against minimally inva- sive posterior fusion. n $6.7M orthopedic ASC opens in Pennsylvania, plans to perform up to 4,500 surgeries in 2021 By Alan Condon P hiladelphia-based Premier Orthopedics and Philadelphia Hand to Shoulder Center opened a $6.7 million surgery center in King of Prussia, Pa., Philadel- phia Business Journal reported. Five things to know: 1. Services offered include spine surgery, total joint replacement, general orthopedic surgery and fracture care. 2. Twenty orthopedic surgeons staff the center, which has four operating rooms and 14 pre- and postoperative rooms. 3. West Reading, Pa.-based Tower Health and Hester, Pa.-based Crozer-Keystone Health System are minority stakeholders of the ASC. 4. About 90 surgeries have been performed at the facility since it opened in the summer of 2020. 5. e 14,500-square-foot ASC is expected to perform between 4,300 and 4,500 surgeries in 2021. n