My research focuses on improving outcomes for patients who need reconstruction after severe trauma, infection, and chronic wounds, populations that are central to the mission of Harborview and the VA. My interest began during training, when I studied predictors of flap failure in pressure ulcer reconstruction and saw how rigorous outcomes data could change surgical decision-making for complex, high-risk patients. That question has carried through my work since. Our group introduced a skin-sparing approach to necrotizing soft tissue infections that preserves viable skin at initial debridement to simplify later reconstruction, and we have characterized predictors of amputation and mortality in upper extremity infections. We have also described injury patterns and permanent impairment from severe fireworks injuries to inform prevention, synthesized reconstructive strategies for the plantar foot, and evaluated standardized care pathways for below-knee amputation and post-flap protocols for patients with spinal cord injury. Much of this work is multidisciplinary, built with colleagues in orthopaedics, trauma surgery, rehabilitation medicine, and injury prevention. Currently I am re-examining long-held assumptions about the timing of soft tissue coverage in lower extremity trauma and contributing to national guidelines on mangled extremity care. My goal is to build evidence that helps teams make better, more individualized decisions about limb salvage and reconstruction, and that ultimately improves function and quality of life for injured patients.

Erika Roddy, MD, Orthopedic Surgery
Chris Crowe, MD, Plastic Surgery
Jeffrey Friedrich, MD, MC, Plastic Surgery
Eileen Bulger, MD, General Surgery
Erika Bisgaard, MD, General Surgery
Stephen Burns, MD, Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation
Stephen Kennedy, MD, Orthopedic Surgery

Significant Publications