The Ertl Support Group List Serve Welcomes Jim DeWees CP of Indiana

The Ertl Support Group List Serve Welcomes Jim DeWees CP of Indiana

9/30/2003

The introduction of the Ertl List serve has been set up as the result of
tremendous interest and support of the procedure. Our Ertl List of
subscribers is international and we launch it to approx 100 amputees, O&P
professionals,surgeons and other medical professionals, whom have requested
to receive videos, periodic e-mail updates, statistical data, testimonials
and advances of the procedure.

Over 500 of the Ertl videos have been ordered since its debut in March.
The surgical version of the video will soon be available in DVD format.

Anyone whom wishes to be removed or added can reply to me making their
specific request to be removed or added to future mailings.

Those of you whom wish to make comments regarding the Ertl Osteomyoplastic
Amputation and Reconstruction Surgical Procedure may have them distributed
to the other Ertl subscribers without necessarily tying up the O&P
Listserve(OANDP-L).

Tony Barr
Barr Foundation
www.oandp.com/barr
561-394-6514

-----Original Message-----
From: <Email Address Redacted> [mailto:<Email Address Redacted>]
Sent: Tuesday, September 30, 2003 9:50 AM
To: <Email Address Redacted> UFL. EDU
Cc: Amputee Listserve
Subject: Testimonial and Ertl Procedure Support List / Academy
Endorsement of the Barr Foundation


Thank you Jim for your below testimonial and support.
I will add your name to the Ertl Support list
Congratulation on choice of professions.
I will e-mail you ordering info for the Ertl video to better educate
surgeons,prosthetists and amputees.
Knowing many amputee/prosthetists, I have always been curious of how many
prosthetists are also amputees like you.
Does anyone have any data?
Tony Barr

-----Original Message-----
From: Jim DeWees [mailto:<Email Address Redacted>]
Subject: Re: [OANDP-L] Barr Foundation Starts Ertl Procedure Support
List / Academy Endorsement of the Barr Foundation


Tony,

I have contacted you before, but a long time ago (probably 2 or 3 years
now). I had the Ertl procedure when I had my left leg amputated about 5 1/2
years ago. I had a severe frostbite injury, a couple months of skin
grafting, and other surgeries to repair the damage, and then ultimately a BK
amputation. I had time to research the surgeons in the area, Salt Lake
City, as to who was the best Orthopedic Surgeon in the area that could do
this procedure. I found that Dr. James Morgan was probably the best surgeon
in the city, and he had also done the Ertl procedure a couple times. I
aksed him if he minded if I used his name as a contact in the Utah area for
Ertl procedures, he didn't seem too interested in getting invlolved with the
amputee scene.

I am now a CP and live in Indiana. I have met with a few surgeons in
Indianapolis and here in Bloomington primarily to introduce myself and try
to get some referrals, but I also ask them about the Ertl procedure, and
most (if not all) of them say the What?. I explain it to them, and
haven't seen a lot of interest. I know most amputations are due to vascular
disease, but there are a lot of traumatic amputations here. Most of my
patients are under 40, I have had only a couple of patients over 65. It is
really an interesting area in that reguard.

As for my amputation, I am sure that I have benefitted from the Ertl
procedure. I have seen many, MANY, BK amputees, and have never seen anyone
that has nearly as nice of a residual limb as mine. I'm not bragging, but I
can actually do some weight bearing directly on the distal end (about 110
pounds of force on a pad on a scale) and can go like the energizer bunny,
all day, every day. Of course I have a very good fitting socket and a
really good foot in perfect alignment. That is why I am now a CP, if you
want something done right, do it yourself. I got very frustrated with the
prosthetists that I had to deal with trying to make a leg for me.

I wish that more doctors would open their minds up and do the Ertl procedure
more often, when it is appropriate. But one HUGE hurdle is the HMO's,
insurances, etc. that don't, or won't, pay for unnecessary procedures. The
doctors basically don't get paid for the extra time they spend on this
procedure.

That is my $.02 worth (or maybe $.10).

Thanks,

Jim DeWees, CP

Also, I would like to find out how to get a copy of the video (videos). I
think it would be a good thing to have here and maybe convince some doctors
to at least try it on someone.

_