Congratulations, Dr. Racca, 2023 Albuquerque Top Doc, Orthopedics

We congratulate Dr. Racca for being chosen as the Top Doc for Orthopedics in Albuquerque Magazine’s 2023 edition. To read the entire article, subscribers can access the digital issue here. Additionally, a list of newsstands where the magazine is available for purchase can be found here.

 

New Mexico Orthopaedics is excited to announce the addition of our newest physician, Dr. Antony Kallur.

New Mexico Orthopaedics is excited to announce the addition of our newest physician, Dr. Antony Kallur. Dr. Kallur is a board-certified, fellowship-trained orthopedic surgeon specializing in spine and pediatrics.

Dr. Kallur has worked in Pediatric Orthopedics for over 12 years, and states that working with children is one of the most rewarding aspects of being a healthcare provider.

Dr. Kallur utilizes the latest technology (eg. Robotics and Navigation) and techniques (fusion and vertebral body tethering—a new, FDA approved non-fusion technique for scoliosis— to ensure the safest and most positive outcomes for intricate spinal surgeries.

He has worked in New Mexico for 10 years and enjoys a stellar reputation among referring physicians and fellow pediatric orthopedic surgeons.  He was also an associate professor at Baylor college of medicine and worked at Texas Children’s hospital for the last 2 years as senior faculty in pediatric orthopedics, with special interests in spine and spine deformity.

His specialities and interests include:

  • Adolescent idiopathic scoliosis— assessment, management,  bracing, observation or surgery
  • Neuromuscular, congenital, syndromic, and complex scoliosis in younger children— expertise in growing rods and casting
  • Back pain in children— both athletes and non-athletes
  • Conservative and operative interventions
  • Fractures in children— treating all aspects of trauma in children (including spinal trauma)
  • Lower extremity issues— limb length discrepancies, angular deformities, congenital malformations
  • Tumors— all benign tumors

Dr. Kallur loves the abundance of outdoor activities and great weather New Mexico provides. In his free time, he loves hiking the Sandia mountains and foothills. He also enjoys golfing and running (Albuquerque is perfect for both) and loves to watch the balloons!!

Dr. Kallur is currently accepting new patients.  To schedule an evaluation, please visit our self-scheduling portal here or contact 505-768-7507 today!

 

Techniques and Technology Improving Outcomes for Complex Scoliosis Surgeries

In Scoliosis Surgery, Lengthy and Complex (Albuquerque Journal), Dr. Anjali Subbaswamy (Pediatric Intensive Care Physician at UNM) answers questions regarding a patient whose pediatrician has suggested she may need surgery and is wondering what that entails.

She notes a recent observation of markedly improved conditions post-surgery, prompting her to ask her colleague  Dr. Antony Kallur (a Pediatric Spine and Orthopedics specialist formerly with UMN and currently with New Mexico Orthopaedics) what might be contributing to the improvements:

Q: My 14-year-old daughter has scoliosis and her pediatrician thinks she might need to have surgery. What does that entail?

A: The surgical repair for scoliosis is Posterior Spinal Fusion, and it is a surgery performed often in my hospital. It is a long surgery, often taking between 6 to 8 hours. The children usually, but not always, come to the Pediatric Intensive Care Unit (PICU) afterwards for postoperative care. They might stay in the PICU for 1 to 4 days, depending on how they recover. After that, they go to our inpatient Carrie Tingley Rehabilitation Unit, where they receive physical and occupational therapy. These therapies facilitate their ability to resume their activities of daily living, and also enhance their recovery. The therapists will give you exercises to continue at home. The entire hospital stay is typically 5 to 7 days.

There are 3 different kinds of pediatric scoliosis, all of which may require surgical treatment. They are idiopathic scoliosis, neuromuscular scoliosis and congenital scoliosis. Idiopathic scoliosis is by far the most common type. This affects otherwise healthy children, who have a sideways curve in their spine, which measures greater than 10 degrees. Your pediatrician may have done the Adams Forward Bend test to assess this, followed by some X-rays.

The American Academy of Orthopedic Surgeons (AAOS) provides the following information: If the spinal curve is between 25 degrees and 45 degrees and your child is still growing, your doctor may recommend bracing. Although bracing will not straighten an existing curve, it may prevent it from getting worse to the point of requiring surgery. Your doctor may recommend surgery if your child’s curve is greater than 45-50 degrees or if bracing did not stop the curve from reaching this point. Severe curves that are not treated could eventually worsen to the point where they affect lung and heart function. That is the main medical reason for intervening.

Now, here’s some good news. I have personally noticed that the patients I get from the operating room after this procedure are in much better condition than in years past. They are more stable in terms of their breathing and blood pressure, they start eating and drinking sooner after surgery, they start sitting up and getting out of bed sooner and their pain is better controlled. It is frankly amazing to me that some of these children don’t have to come to the PICU after surgery. This surgery takes a long time and involves blood loss and many hours of anesthesia. All of those factors are stressful to the body, and these children used to come out of surgery somewhat unstable. They would require active management of their fluid balance, blood pressure, pain and breathing. We would check labs and replace electrolytes and clotting factors. Nowadays, we barely do anything except watch them closely. They typically come out of the operating room breathing on their own, with stable blood pressure and good pain control. These changes are striking improvements, and prompted me to ask my colleague Dr. Antony Kallur, “What has changed?” 

Here’s Dr. Kallur’s answer:

Well, things definitely have changed for the better in a lot of ways.

First of all we understand the importance of three dimensional correction and restoration of spinal alignment. Anesthetic techniques have changed very much and are safer with newer medications and ability to keep children unconscious but maintaining baseline nerve and brain function so that we can monitor the child’s spinal cord.

Neuro-monitoring; which is now used all the time for any scoliosis surgery has made the surgery very safe reducing the incidence of neurological injury.

The surgical techniques and our understanding of how to correct the spine and the alignment that needs to be restored has made the children able to return to all activities after healing from surgery without any restriction. The implants used are advanced to help us correct the spine and maintain alignment to healing and can be placed safely. Titanium implants used now are also biocompatible and incidence of infection is negligible in healthy children. Our incidence at Carrie Tingley hospital is ‘zero’ in healthy children.

These days, the child does not need to stay in bed or use a brace after surgery. The newer instrumentation techniques mean that need to harvest child’s own bone (from the pelvic bone) as graft for achieving fusion/healing is not needed.

The recovery from scoliosis surgery has become so much easier to the child and family compared to how it was 10 to 15 years ago. So, we achieve better correction and alignment with safer surgery with a quicker recovery and return to activities. I hope things go very smoothly for your daughter!

Anjali Subbaswamy is a Pediatric Intensive Care Physician at UNM. Antony Kallur is a Pediatric and Adult Orthopedic Surgeon and Pediatric Spine Specialist at New Mexico Orthopaedics. 


New Mexico Orthopaedics is a multi-disciplinary orthopedic clinic located in Albuquerque New Mexico. We have multiple physical therapy clinics located throughout the Albuquerque metro area.

New Mexico Orthopaedics offers a full spectrum of services related to orthopedic care and our expertise ranges from acute conditions such as sports injuries and fractures to prolonged, chronic care diagnoses, including total joint replacement and spinal disorders.

Because our team of highly-trained physicians specialize in various aspects of the musculoskeletal system, our practice has the capacity to treat any orthopedic condition, and offer related support services, such as physical therapy, WorkLink and much more.

If you need orthopedic care in Albuquerque New Mexico contact New Mexico Orthopaedics at 505-724-4300 or utilize our self-scheduling tools here.

 

Congratulations, Dr. Franco, 2022 Albuquerque Top Doc, Orthopedics

 
We’d like to congratulate Dr. Franco for being selected Top Doc of ABQ 2022 for Orthopedics! Check out the article below to enjoy Dr. Franco’s entertaining answers to the interview questions. Those who know him know perfectly well why he was voted “best personality” in high school. 😀
Subscribers can access the digital issue here. Also, here’s a handy link to the list of newsstands where the magazine is on sale: newsstand locations.

 

Dr. Tripuraneni Featured in ABQ Magazine 2019 Top Docs!

Congratulations to Dr. Tripuraneni from ABQ The Magazine!

Dr. Tripuraneni Featured in ABQ Magazine 2019 Top Docs!Dr. Krishna Tripuraneni is not just one of the most respected orthopaedic surgeons in New Mexico, his reputation spans the entire country. Perhaps that’s why he was one of the physicians chosen by the Albuquerque Isotopes to be a team doctor.

Krishna Tripuraneni, MD, FAAOS is a board-certified orthopaedic surgeon who specializes in hip and knee replacement surgery. After completing his undergraduate and medical degrees at George Washington University, Dr. Tripuraneni completed his orthopaedic surgery residency at the University of New Mexico followed by a fellowship in total joint replacement at Stanford University.

Dr. Tripuraneni views his professional career as an opportunity to assist others and finds a deep satisfaction in facilitating people to lead healthier and happier lives.

His comprehensive, personalized approach and open communication with patients, as well as his desire for patients to return to an improved quality of life are integral in his daily interactions. He makes himself readily available to his patients and his empathetic understanding is vital to their satisfaction. His excellent technical skills, along with his compassionate care are the reasons patients travel from all over the state of New Mexico, as well as neighboring states, to seek his professional opinion.

His clinical care extends beyond joint replacement, as he continues to perform general orthopaedic procedures. Dr. Tripuraneni is involved in clinical research, has published numerous peer-reviewed articles on joint replacement, presented at national meetings, and volunteers his time as a member of national orthopaedic societies.

He is passionate about innovative medical care. He stays up to date with the latest orthopaedic research and integrates this into his practice in order to deliver top-notch clinical and surgical care for his patients. He has spearheaded same-day, outpatient discharges for hip and knee replacements in Albuquerque and is involved in a national, clinical study integrating everyday technology into post-surgical care. His excellent clinical and research care teams manage the numerous intricacies from beginning to end in order to ensure a positive experience for the patient.

Dr. Tripuraneni’s commitment to education extends to the numerous medical students and residents he has mentored over the years. He enjoys being one of the several team physicians for the Albuquerque Isotopes, with the added benefit of enjoying the games with family and friends!

During his free time, Dr. Tripuraneni enjoys sporting activities, staying healthy, traveling and spending time with family.

Dr. Douglas Allen – Albuquerque’s Top Orthopedic Doctor

Dr. Douglas Allen - New Mexico OrthopaedicsWhat drew you to your speciality?

When entering medical school, Orthopedics initially appealed to me because it is an interesting combination of medicine, sports, and engineering.

Do you have a favorite on-the-job story you can share with us?

I had the opportunity to perform shoulder replacements on my fourth-grade teacher. It was great to reconnect with her and she was a pleasure to work with. She is functioning beyond her expectations and is pain free.

What is the best part of practicing in Albuquerque?

It’s great to practice in my hometown. Both my wife and I are physicians and multi-generational natives of Albuquerque. When we were finishing our medical training, it was obvious that we both wanted to come home and practice in an area that has so much going for it, but is generally underserved medically.

Off the clock, do you have any hobbies or causes you support?

Currently, I help coach my son’s high school wrestling team in my free time. I also enjoy skiing and all aspects of outdoor sports.

What’s the most exciting new development in your field?

Over the last several years there has been an emphasis on minimally invasive / arthroscopic procedures. I’m often amazed at our ability to perform surgeries through very small incisions.

What has been the proudest moment of your career?

Going back to Duke, (where I attended undergraduate school( after completion of my residency, to sub-specialize in the orthopedic care of athletes. Part of the requirement of the fellowship was serving as one of the lead physicians for the Duke basketball team.

In one sentence, what would be your advice for living a happy, healthy life ?

Exercise and have fun!

Dr. Michael Archibeck Featured in Albquerque 13th Annual Top Doc Issue

The 13th Annual Top Docs Issue

For this, our 13th year, we asked Albuquerque-area doctors one simple question: “If you had to refer a loved one to a doctor other than yourself, to whom would you refer them?” This month, we share the results of our annual Top Docs survey and unveil this year’s winners.

For this years Orthopedic category we’re featuring New Mexico Orthopaedics’ Dr. Michael Archibeck.

Kelly Rivera, Registered Nurse First Assistant

Michael Archibeck, MDName one part of the office environment that says the most about Dr. Archibeck.
The practice runs like a well-oiled machine. We each know our expectations and work well together to help our patients.

What is the No. 1 health tip for those as busy as you are?
Eat a hearty breakfast!

How do Dr. Archibeck and your team try to create a great patient experience?
There is an ongoing effort to fix what isn’t working to ensure clinic appointments run on time and patients have optimal outcomes. Dr. Archibeck makes us feel like we are all on the same team working towards the same goal.

In your opinion, what makes Dr. Archibeck a Top Doc?
A good doctor is someone that has a good reputation within the medical community and among his patients. A Top Doc has the respect of the people that work closest with him. It is an honor to be a part of Dr. Archibeck’s team.

Angela Roybal, Medical Assistant

How do Dr. Archibeck and your team try to create a great patient experience?
I feel that our team works well together and we all have the patient’s best interests in mind and work toward making things easy and comfortable for the patients.

How do you ensure your organization delivers the best care, for every patient, every time?
I do my part to make sure our patients feel confident and comfortable with their care by being available for them when they have questions, by getting back to them in a timely manner, and by making sure they get their questions answered.

In your opinion, what makes Dr. Archibeck a Top Doc? Dr. Archibeck is a kind and compassionate person and a great surgeon.

Dean Showalter, Certified Physician Assistant

How long have you worked with Dr. Archibeck?
16 years.

What is your favorite part of coming to work every day?
Seeing the difference in patients before and after surgery.

In your opinion, what makes Dr. Archibeck a Top Doc?
Dr. Archibeck is an incredible surgeon. He makes everyone around him strive for excellence.

New Mexico Orthopaedics would like to congratulate Dr. Michael Archibeck!