NH Magazine Announces 2023 Top Docs

Each year, over 3,000 licensed New Hampshire physicians nominate their peers for the opportunity to receive the honor of ‘Top Doctor.’ Those named Top Doctors received the greatest number of recommendations within 55+ specialties, and the results are in! We think all of our docs are top, but this year, eight of our physicians were voted ‘Top Doctor,’ including:

Glen Crawford, MD – Top Doctor for Orthopaedic Surgery
Robert Eberhart, MD* – Top Doctor for Hand Surgery
Andrew McMahon, DO – Top Doctor for Sports Medicine
Mayo Noerdlinger, MD – Top Doctor for Orthopaedic Surgery
H. Matthew Quitkin, MD – Top Doctor for Hand Surgery
Akhilesh Sastry, MD – Top Doctor for Orthopaedic Surgery
William Sutherland, MD – Top Doctor for Orthopaedic Surgery
Tyler Welch, MD – Top Doctor for Orthopaedic Surgery

Congratulations to all the 2023 Top Doctors!

Learn more about our providers in Portsmouth, NH and York, ME HERE. Or click HERE to make an appointment with our orthopaedic and sports medicine team.

*As of January 1, 2023 Dr. Robert Eberhart officially retired.

New Ambulatory Surgery Center Coming to AOSM!

New England Center for Orthopaedic Surgery Will Open Spring 2021

Atlantic Orthopaedics and Sports Medicine broke ground last week on a new ambulatory surgery center, New England Center for Orthopaedic Surgery.

The new, single-story ambulatory surgery center, affiliated with Portsmouth Regional Hospital and jointly owned with HCA Healthcare, will provide high-quality outpatient care for orthopedic patients.

The project encompasses 11,000 square feet of space for patients and visitors, and the building is located at 1900 Lafayette Road, Suite E, Portsmouth, New Hampshire 03801.

New England Center for Orthopaedic Surgery will feature:

Three operating rooms specially designed for orthopedic procedures
Private registration area for patients
Modern, comfortable waiting area with welcoming atmosphere
Operating rooms with the most up-to-date technology

The new, state-of-the-art facility will be highly specialized as a single-specialty center offering only orthopedic procedures for patients. It is set to be complete in the spring of 2021.

“Patients in Portsmouth will have a safe, convenient and cost-effective environment for receiving orthopedic outpatient care at New England Center for Orthopaedic Surgery,” said Michael Morwood, MD, orthopedic surgeon at New England Center for Orthopaedic Surgery. “Our modern ambulatory surgery center will be thoughtfully designed to ensure patients will feel comfortable and at ease while receiving excellent healthcare.”

About The HCA Healthcare Ambulatory Surgery Division

The HCA Healthcare Ambulatory Surgery Division operates and jointly owns with physicians, 144 ambulatory surgery centers throughout the United States. Located in 16 states with more than 3,200 physician partners, the HCA Healthcare Ambulatory Surgery Division is focused on collaborating with physicians to advance healthcare in our communities. Each year, the HCA Healthcare Ambulatory Surgery Division cares for more than 786,000 patients. HCA Healthcare ambulatory surgery centers are built on a foundation of quality care and a commitment to providing patients with healthier tomorrows.

Dr. Michael Morwood Published in the Journal of Arthroplasty

Dr. Morwood was recently published in the Journal of Arthroplasty. Dr. Morwood, who specializes in knee replacements says, “One of the main causes of total knee replacement failure is micromotion of the implants. This study was performed to see if the addition of a short stem extension onto the tibial component in a total knee replacement limits the motion of the implant. We were able to show the addition of a short stem provides a significant reduction in micromotion during cyclic loading of a cementless tibial baseplate in a synthetic foam bone model, similar to a cemented implant. The findings of this study may help lower the rate of tibial component loosening in total knee replacement.”

To read the entire study, please click HERE.

Dr. Sastry Leads MAKO Robotics Training at The New England Baptist Hospital

July 2020 – Dr. Akhil Sastry, Board-Certified Orthopaedic Surgeon and provider at Atlantic Orthopaedics & Sports Medicine recently led a MAKO Robotics training at the New England Baptist Hospital in Boston, Massachusetts. Dr. Sastry was the sole faculty member to facilitate the launch of their MAKO Robotics training program.

As robotic-assisted knee and hip replacement surgeries penetrate Boston’s most elite academic and fellowship programs, Portsmouth’s very own Mako Master Surgeon Akhil Sastry was selected to facilitate the launch at the New England Baptist, one of the most heralded institutions of orthopedics in the country.

To prepare for their first robotic knee surgery in a few weeks, Dr. Sastry trained a total of 8 surgeons in this one-time training session and has been invited back to provide additional training to another group of surgeons on August 6, 2020.

Dr. Sastry provided hands-on training and proctoring on how to perform this innovative and cutting-edge procedure. Dr. Sastry was not only one of the first surgeons to perform a robotic-assisted knee replacement in the world in 2017, in addition, he continues to teach and advance robotic concepts with joint replacements nationally. He has been selected to Chair these programs on many occasions and has trained over 100 surgeons from across the country.

Schedule a consultation with Dr. Sastry.

New 1.5T Open MRI Available Now!

On June 30th, 2020, we will scan our first patient on a brand new 1.5T open MRI machine in Portsmouth, NH. This new MRI machine is one of few in the region that offers this level of detail and clarity, along with the largest field of view to create the most comfortable patient experience.

The state-of-the-art 1.5T GE Voyager is a 70 cm open MRI and is considered to be the gold standard for imaging. The machine comes fully equipped with new, innovative features including:

-MAVRIC software that allows imaging for patients with implants with no reduction in image quality. As more patients are receiving joint replacements, this is a terrific solution to improve the medical care that they need.

-A wider and more comfortable table design that sits lower to the ground, allowing for feet-first or head-first imaging. This features memory foam surfacing, is easier access for patient positioning, and accommodates up to 550 lbs.

-The open 70cm of headroom is the most comfortable patient experience without compromising imaging quality. 1.5T imaging is preferred by radiologists.

If you are interested in learning more about the benefits of having this new machine at our Portsmouth, NH location, please let us know.

Welcome Matt Lane!

Please help us welcome Matt Lane, our new Director of Business Operations at Atlantic Orthopaedics & Sports Medicine!

To learn more about Matt, read the entire news article HERE.

Dr. Akhil Sastry & Dr. Deeptha Sastry Provide PPE for First Responders

When COVID-19 started to impact the United States, our very own Dr. Akhil Sastry and his wife and Dr. Deeptha Sastry decided to partner with Dr. Robert Cho, and Ellen Bennett to help New Hampshire first responders. The Sastry’s voiced their concern about first responders not having enough personal protective equipment during this crucial time. Together they came up with an idea to make cloth masks. Ellen Bennett (founder of an apron business for restaurant employees) volunteered to help by using her manufacturing resources. Their goal was to ensure that first responders in southern New Hampshire communities were supplied with personal protective equipment.

To read the full news article about the Sastry’s contribution to our community, please click HERE.

AOSM Physicians Named 2020 Top Orthopaedic Surgeons in NH

We’re so happy to announce that Dr. Sastry, Dr. Noerdlinger and Dr. Quitkin were named 2020 Top Orthopaedic Surgeons in New Hampshire Magazine.

Each year, thousands of physicians licensed to practice in New Hampshire are asked to nominate specialists they would most recommend to family and friends. Those selected as Top Doctors’ received the greatest number of recommendations within 57 specialties and are recognized for their skills and caring.

Their hard work and dedication to their patients is truly appreciated.

Robotics Surgery Growing Fast at Portsmouth Regional Hospital

Did you know Portsmouth Regional Hospital is a Center of Excellence for Robotic Surgery and now has the largest fleet of surgical robots on the Seacoast – including one Mako and two da Vinci robots?

Dr. Sastry, the first Master Robotics Surgeon in New England, was recently featured in the Portsmouth Herald talking about the accuracy and precision of joint replacement surgery using the Mako. “These are exciting times in the world of robotic surgery. The accuracy and precision of surgery is vastly improved, and surgery is less invasive and violent than previously. We rely on our technology, on AI to tell us, to simulate how the operation will go before it is performed. Each surgery is customized to the patient. We have done over 1,000 robotic surgeries at Portsmouth Regional Hospital!” said Sastry.

Read the full article HERE.

If you’re interested in learning more about robotic joint replacement, please contact us today!

First In Maine!

Dr. Mayo Noerdlinger, Board-Certified Orthopaedic Surgeon and provider at Atlantic Orthopaedics & Sports Medicine, recently became the first surgeon in Maine to perform a computer navigated stemless total shoulder replacement using ExactechGPS-guided technology, an innovative new procedure for shoulder replacement. Already one of the top shoulder surgeons in the Northeast.

Dr. Noerdlinger and his patients continue to benefit from this new technology, a major advancement in shoulder replacement. Dr. Noerdlinger also performed the first GPS-guided total shoulder surgery at York Hospital, the first hospital in the Northeast to purchase ExactechGPS.

ExactechGPS shoulder replacement, also called ExactechGPS Shoulder Application, improves the precision and predictability of shoulder surgery from preoperative planning to real-time execution. This new technology helps the surgeon better understand his or her patient’s anatomy before entering the operating room, and during surgery ExactechGPS provides a real-time view of the implant placement process and guides the surgeon toward any necessary adjustments.

“The shoulder replacement technology keeps getting better, allowing the surgeon to reproduce the patient’s anatomy in a more minimally invasive and bone sparing manner,” said Noerdlinger. “By replicating the patient’s anatomy, we anticipate the functional outcomes will improve and the recovery times will shorten. As life expectancies increase, the longevity of joint replacements becomes more and more of an important issue. Shoulder replacements are thought to last 15-20 years before patients might develop pain needing revision surgery. With the stemless design, there is less metal going into the bone, which will make future surgeries easier to perform. This new design is a particularly attractive option for younger patients undergoing shoulder replacement surgery.”

Mayo Noerdlinger, MD, FAAOS, CIME, specializes in orthopedic, reconstructive and arthroscopic surgery; shoulder surgery and replacement; reverse shoulder replacement; treatment of torn tendons and ligaments; sports medicine and others. He is also the physician behind Seacoast Shoulder, which offers patients the latest in state-of-the-art treatment for shoulder ailments of all kinds. Visit www.atlanticorthopaedics.org for more information, or call 603.431.1121.

Atlantic Orthopaedics & Sports Medicine is a group of Board-Certified physicians who utilize the latest concepts in orthopaedics and sports medicine, coupled with preventive and surgical techniques. For more information, visit www.atlanticorthopaedics.org, or call the Portsmouth clinic at 603.431.1121.

York Hospital‘s surgery center mixes advanced technology with personalized care in a comfortable, and caring environment. The center is equipped with five surgical suites staffed by a dedicated and highly trained team of specialists that care for patients preoperatively, during surgery and in recovery. Our center is well-equipped with the latest advances in technology and instrumentation for the more than 6,500 surgical procedures annually. For more information, visit yorkhospital.com or call 207-351-2385.

Dr. Sastry Achieves Accreditation as Master Surgeon in Robotic Surgery

Dr. Akhilesh Sastry of Atlantic Orthopaedics & Sports Medicine has recently achieved accreditation as the first Master Surgeon in Robotic Surgery in New England by Surgical Review Corporation. This accreditation distinguishes Dr. Sastry from many other surgeons by providing the highest quality of care to patients as determined by an independent, external process of evaluation.

Status as an accredited Master Surgeon means that Dr. Sastry has met nationally recognized standards. Not all hospitals and surgeons seek accreditation; not all that undergo the rigorous on-site inspection process are granted accreditation.

Healthcare organizations and surgeons seeking accreditation by SRC undergo an extensive self-assessment and on-site inspection. This process includes physicians, nurses and administrators who are actively involved in the accredited program. The inspection is consultative and educational, presenting best practices to help an organization or surgeon improve its care and services.

Dr. Sastry began using the MAKO Robotic-Arm Assisted Surgery System in 2016, and was the first surgeon in New Hampshire and Maine to perform a robotic-assisted knee replacement.
Dr. Sastry is also the premier robotic-assisted orthopaedic surgeon at Atlantic Orthopaedics and Sports Medicine and has privileges at both Portsmouth Regional Hospital and York Hospital.

About SRC – Established in 2003, Surgical Review Corporation (SRC) is an internationally recognized patient safety organization dedicated to recognizing and refining surgical care. SRC is the leading administrator of quality improvement and accreditation programs for surgeons and hospitals worldwide. SRC’s proven methodology, know as the “Cycle of Excellence,” results in quantifiable and unparalleled improvement in outcomes, patient safety and costs across surgical specialties. For more information, visit www.surgicalreview.org.

Morwood Published in Injury: International Journal of the Care of the Injured

Our very own Dr. Morwood has been published in the journal, Injury.

Dr. Morwood recently wrote about treating tibial fractures around total knee replacements. Although they are rare, tibial fractures can cause some serious complications, but chances of successful healing can be improved with the techniques detailed in Dr. Morwood’s paper!

You can read Dr. Morwood’s piece by clicking here.