Skip to main page content
U.S. flag

An official website of the United States government

Dot gov

The .gov means it’s official.
Federal government websites often end in .gov or .mil. Before sharing sensitive information, make sure you’re on a federal government site.

Https

The site is secure.
The https:// ensures that you are connecting to the official website and that any information you provide is encrypted and transmitted securely.

Access keys NCBI Homepage MyNCBI Homepage Main Content Main Navigation
Multicenter Study
. 2023 Sep 15;31(18):945-956.
doi: 10.5435/JAAOS-D-23-00311. Epub 2023 Aug 18.

The Major Extremity Trauma Research Consortium: Development and Impact of an Orthopaedic Trauma Research Program

The Major Extremity Trauma Research Consortium (METRC)
Multicenter Study

The Major Extremity Trauma Research Consortium: Development and Impact of an Orthopaedic Trauma Research Program

The Major Extremity Trauma Research Consortium (METRC). J Am Acad Orthop Surg. .

Abstract

The Major Extremity Trauma Research Consortium (METRC) is a unique and ongoing military-civilian collaboration that resulted in the largest orthopaedic trauma research enterprise to date. The Consortium was established in September 2009 with funding from the Department of Defense. It employs a centralized data coordinating center and has grown into a network of nearly 400 investigators at 70 clinical centers. METRC conducts large multicenter clinical research studies selected and designed to improve outcomes among severely injured military and civilian patients with extremity trauma. Over the past decade, the consortium has implemented 35 such studies distributed among 19 principal investigators, enrolled more than 23,000 patients, published 61 articles, and received more than $150 million in funding from the Department of Defense, Patient Centered Outcomes Research Institute, and National Institutes of Health. This unique multidisciplinary research platform is a powerful community capable of addressing the challenging issues related to the evaluation, treatment, and recovery after severe extremity trauma. This body of work received the 2023 Elizabeth Winston Lanier Kappa Delta Award. An overview of the METRC development, organization, and research focus areas is presented.

PubMed Disclaimer

References

    1. Bosse MJ, MacKenzie EJ, Kellam JF, et al.: An analysis of outcomes of reconstruction or amputation after leg-threatening injuries. N Engl J Med 2002;347:1924-1931.
    1. METRC: Building a clinical research network in trauma orthopaedics: The Major Extremity Trauma Research Consortium (METRC). J Orthop Trauma 2016;30:353-361.
    1. Bosse MJ, Murray CK, Carlinia AR, et al.: Assessment of severe extremity wound bioburden at the time of definitive wound closure or coverage: Correlation with subsequent postclosure deep wound infection (bioburden study). J Orthop Trauma 2017;31(suppl 1):S3-S9.
    1. METRC: Modern external ring fixation versus internal fixation for treatment of severe open tibial fractures: A randomized clinical trial (FIXIT study). J Bone Joint Surg Am 2022;104:1061-1067.
    1. Major Extremity Trauma Research Consortium (METRC): Effect of supplemental perioperative oxygen on SSI among adults with lower-extremity fractures at increased risk for infection: A randomized clinical trial. J Bone Joint Surg Am 2022;104:1236-1243.

Publication types

LinkOut - more resources