Award-winning referral hospital for the most complex orthopedic injuries

Regions Hospital in St. Paul, MN is a renowned Level 1 trauma center and home to a team of orthopedic trauma surgeons skilled at treating severe fractures, as well as poor bone healing, disease and deformities in both adults and children.

We treat thousands of trauma patients each year, including those who are emergency transferred or referred across the Upper Midwest. We’re innovators in orthopedic trauma care, partnering with key organizations to advance our surgical techniques and deliver better patient outcomes.

So, why choose the orthopedic experts at Regions Hospital? Learn more about our trauma specialties and how to transfer or refer a patient.

Every doctor wants their patients to get the best possible care. So when complex orthopedic injuries arrive in the emergency room or clinic, transferring patients to a more advanced care provider may be needed.

At Regions Hospital, every patient will be in caring and highly capable hands. Below, we highlight some of our areas of expertise and when to refer a patient.

There’s a growing body of research that demonstrates the benefits of surgically treating severe chest wall trauma, which is often caused by serious automotive, motorcycle or snowmobile accidents. But many surgeons aren’t chest wall trauma specialists.

The orthopedic team at Regions Hospital has been leading the way for over a decade. Our orthopedic trauma surgeons are all trained and experienced in treating severe chest wall trauma, including:

• Flail chest (multiple adjacent rib fractures)
• Fractured sternum (one or more fractures of the breastbone)

From reducing the risk of respiratory complications and death, to preventing or healing bone deformities, our collaborative approach to treating chest wall trauma allows us to maximize patient outcomes.

Injuries to the pelvis and acetabular (hip joint) are serious and can be life threatening. And they’re often accompanied by other injuries, requiring a multidisciplinary team of trauma specialists.

As a go-to referral hospital in the Upper Midwest, Regions Hospital can care for it all. While our orthopedic surgeons work to repair the structural integrity of the pelvis or hips, other members of the trauma team can be assessing and treating wounds, internal bleeding, and soft tissue and organ damage.

When bone fractures are especially complicated or there’s impeding tissue damage, quickly and expertly treating the injury is crucial for improving outcomes. Our surgeons are skilled at surgical debridement and bone realignment for severe and complex arm, wrist, hand, leg and ankle injuries, including:

• Multiple fractures
• Comminuted fractures in which at least one bone is shattered into pieces
• Compound fractures
• Compression fractures
• Displaced fractures
• Spiral fractures
• High-pressure injection injuries, which most commonly affect fingers and hands

Regions Hospital is an innovator in the surgical treatment of shoulder blade and girdle injuries such as:

• Severe scapula fractures in one or parts of the shoulder blade, or with significant displacement
• Clavicle fractures (broken collarbone) near the sternum, near the acromioclavicular (AC) joint, or in the middle of the bone between the sternum and AC joint

Regions Hospital is also home to The Scapula Institute in St. Paul, which provides resources to physicians and patients about all aspects of shoulder girdle trauma.

When fractures don’t heal properly, patients can experience a range of complications and pain. We’re especially known for treating:

• Malunion or nonunion rib fractures
• Sternum malunion or nonunion
• Malunion or nonunion shoulder blade and girdle injuries

While we’re known for our work in orthopedic trauma care, we also treat anatomical problems and bone disease such as:

• Bone preservation
• Limb length discrepancy
• Rotational deformity or malalignment
• Bone cancer

We’re also one of just five hospitals in the country certified as a Geriatric Fracture Care Program by the International Geriatric Fracture Society .

We know physicians want to make sure their patients are receiving the highest quality treatment and care. We aim for transparency at every step of the process and work hard to keep you updated on your patient’s progress.

Whether your patient needs advanced care immediately following an accident or during the healing process, you can transfer or refer them any day, any time by calling the HealthPartners Direct hospital admission hotline.

When you call to schedule a patient transfer or referral, we’ll ask some questions about the patient and yourself to get the process going. Learn more about the Regions Hospital patient transfer process.

To speak with a nurse or make an appointment with an orthopedic trauma specialist, patients can call 952-831-8742.