Our Logo
Our logo reflects our philosophy
The surgical instrument displayed in the Abraham Orthopaedics logo is a bone compass. This instrument is used in operations where one bone measurement needs to be precisely transferred to another bone. Dr. John Abraham was first introduced to this instrument in the early days of his surgical training in the operating rooms of the Boston Children’s Hospital.
At that time, pediatric bone sarcomas were often treated with allograft reconstruction, in which a donor bone was used to replace a cancerous section of bone.
Precision
To make sure the length of the replacement bone exactly matched the patient’s bone that was being removed, the surgeon used the bone compass to take a precise measurement from the patient, and then transferred that measurement to the donor bone. At that point the cancerous bone is cut out, and a second measurement is taken from the specimen to ensure the measurement had not changed. The measurement is confirmed a second time to be at the correct location on the donor bone, and the cut is made. Donor bones, like all other organ donations, are precious gifts, and mistakes during this process simply cannot be made. The bone compass, along with the age-old technique of measuring twice before cutting once, is what ensured absolute precision in this critical step of the operation.
Compassion
It is no coincidence that the word “compass” is built directly into the word “compassion”. The Latin roots of this word mean “to step together”. The choice to be an orthopaedic oncologist is a difficult one, because it is a lifetime commitment to taking the journey of each patient’s cancer together with them. The goals of the orthopaedic oncologist are to remove the tumor from a patient’s limb, cure the patient of cancer, and restore the patient’s function. The satisfaction of achieving this goal is unmatched in any other field of orthopaedics, and yet is chosen by very few. The field requires not only significant technical skill to be able to carry out these difficult operations, but also compassion to understand that the ability to remove suffering from patient is a gift, and is worth the effort. It is truly a journey of steps taken together with the patient. It is no surprise that the bone compass is found only in the surgical trays of the orthopaedic oncologist.
Integrity
A compass also refers to an instrument that enables someone to find and follow true North. This is another reason to use this instrument in our logo: it symbolizes a dedication to a specific direction, which in our practice is excellence in patient care above all other things. This dedication to excellence is reflected in the integrity pillar in our motto. The choices we have made in developing and running our practice are made with the best interests of the patient in mind, even though the current medical environment often makes those choices difficult. We are here to serve our patients, and the compass is a constant reminder of that direction.
Today, metal implants have largely replaced allograft reconstruction, and advanced technologies such as surgical navigation have replaced the old school techniques of hand measurements using the bone compass. However, the instrument still is a symbol of precision, compassion, and integrity, and to this day still lives in Dr. Abraham’s surgical instruments tray.
We thank you for choosing Abraham Orthopaedics to be your compass, and to walk together with you on your journey.