2021 Donation Healthcare Hero - Dr. Patrick Smock
Occupation: Orthopedic Surgeon and tissue recipient
Age and Location: Age 44 – St. Paul, MN
Sponsor: Honored by Axogen
HONORED BECAUSE
Dr. Patrick Smock, an orthopedic surgeon specializing in peripheral nerve surgery and the treatment of upper extremity injuries, is not only a steward of the gift of tissue donation, but a very grateful recipient.
Traumatic injuries do not stop during a pandemic. Through both his surgical and personal experience, Dr. Smock understands how important it is to repair an injured nerve as soon as possible, in order to get patients back to their best possible quality of life. Throughout this challenging time, he has continued caring for patients and performing surgeries that are crucial to helping ensure that patients who suffer nerve injuries get the care they need, and a strong advocate for ensuring a donor's gift of nerve tissue has as much impact on others as possible.
BIOGRAPHY
Dr. Patrick Smock, an orthopedic surgeon specializing in peripheral nerve surgery and the treatment of upper extremity injuries, is not only a steward of the gift of tissue donation, but a very grateful recipient.
In 2014, Dr. Smock suffered what he thought was a fairly simple thumb dislocation and ligament tear while mountain biking. He underwent surgery to repair the ligament damage, but when he developed severe pain and experienced a loss of sensation to a portion of his thumb and forefinger, he realized he had suffered nerve damage as well. Because he relies heavily on dexterity and feeling in his fingers to perform surgery, he sought the help of a fellow orthopedic surgeon. That surgeon identified a neuroma, a painful tangle of broken and damaged nerve fibers, that had developed in Dr. Smock's radial nerve and was the cause of his pain and loss of sensation. The neuroma was surgically removed, and the resulting nerve gap was repaired using donated processed human nerve allograft, eliminating the pain, and restoring sensation to his thumb and forefinger. Dr. Smock was quickly back to performing surgical procedures, with an even greater appreciation for the impact a nerve injury can have on a patient's life. Today, he uses donated processed human nerve allograft in his own practice to help patients with nerve injuries and shares his own experience.
Traumatic injuries do not stop during a pandemic. Through both his surgical and personal experience, Dr. Smock understands how important it is to repair an injured nerve as soon as possible, in order to get patients back to their best possible quality of life. Throughout this challenging time, he has continued caring for patients and performing surgeries that are crucial to helping ensure that patients who suffer nerve injuries get the care they need, and a strong advocate for ensuring a donor's gift of nerve tissue has as much impact on others as possible.