Private Fracture Clinic — Melbourne’s South-East

If you have broken a bone and been told to “follow up at a fracture clinic”, you can be seen privately by Dr Janan Chandrananth within two business days if it is a fracture needing urgent management. Bring your referral letter and your imaging, and the decision about how your fracture should be treated is made at that first visit rather than weeks later.

To book, call (03) 9123 4402. Tell reception what has been broken and when, and the team will book an appointment to suit the injury.

Who this clinic is for

Most people who come to the fracture clinic have been to an emergency department or urgent care clinic in the last day or two. They have had an X-ray, been put in a temporary splint, plaster or boot, and been told to arrange orthopaedic follow-up. The public fracture clinic at the hospital may be a week or more away, or you may simply want the injury looked at by one surgeon who will see it through from first visit to recovery.

It is also for people whose GP has found a fracture on an X-ray, and for anyone whose injury was first treated as a sprain but is not settling as it should.

Urgent fractures seen within two business days

Dr Chandrananth sets aside time for new fractures that need urgent management so that they are seen within two business days of your call. Early review matters: a fracture that is out of position is far easier to correct in the first week than once it has started to heal, and a fracture that needs an operation is best fixed before the swelling makes surgery harder. Fractures that are stable and well positioned, such as a small chip fracture at the ankle, do not need to be seen as quickly and are given the next suitable appointment.

What to bring

You will need a referral letter from either your GP or the doctor who treated you in the emergency department. A discharge summary on its own is not a referral — if you are still at the hospital, ask the treating doctor to write one before you leave; if you have already gone home, your GP can provide it, usually the same day. The referral is what allows Medicare to pay a rebate on your consultation.

Bring any imaging that has been done — X-rays, CT or MRI — either as films, or send us the links, or by telling us which imaging provider holds them so the rooms can request them. Bring your health fund details if you have cover, and a list of your regular medications.

What happens at your appointment

Dr Chandrananth examines the injury, reviews your imaging and, if the pictures from the emergency department are not enough to plan treatment, arranges further X-rays or a CT scan. He then explains what the fracture is, whether it is stable, and what that means for you.

Many fractures are treated without an operation. If that is the case, you leave with a plan: what you will wear, how much weight you can put through the limb, when you will be reviewed, and what to watch for. If the fracture needs surgery, the operation is booked at that visit, and the front desk team goes through the fees with you before anything is scheduled.

Fractures we see

Dr Chandrananth is a foot and ankle surgeon who also manages general orthopaedic trauma, so the clinic sees upper and lower limb fractures of all kinds — not only the foot and ankle. The most common are:

• Ankle fractures, including those involving the joint surface or the ligaments between the shin bones

• Foot fractures — the fifth metatarsal, the midfoot (Lisfranc injuries), the heel bone and the toes

• Lower limb fractures — the shin bone, the kneecap and fractures around the knee

• Upper limb fractures — the wrist, forearm, elbow, upper arm and collarbone

• Hand and finger fractures

Fractures that run into a joint — at the ankle, the wrist or the knee — are where accurate fixation matters most, because the accuracy of the reconstruction determines how the joint works for years afterwards. You can read more about the general approach on the fractures page.

If surgery is needed

Acute fracture surgery is performed at Mulgrave Private Hospital and St John of God Berwick. Timing depends on the fracture and on swelling: some injuries are best operated on within days, others are safer once the swelling has settled, and Dr Chandrananth will explain which applies to you. Most fracture operations involve a plate and screws or wires to hold the bone in position while it heals; the fractures page covers when hardware is used and whether it needs to come out.

Children’s fractures

Children are seen in the same clinic. Their fractures heal differently from adults’ and some involve the growth plate, which needs particular care. Dr Chandrananth completed six months of paediatric orthopaedic training at the Shriners Hospital for Children in Portland during his orthopaedic training. The paediatric fractures page explains how children’s injuries are assessed and treated.

Fees

The consultation is charged at our standard rates, which are listed on the patient fees page, with a Medicare rebate when you have a referral. If surgery is needed and you have private health insurance, Dr Chandrananth participates in the known gap scheme with most major health funds, and you receive written financial consent before the operation is booked. If you are not insured, the rooms can prepare a written quote covering the surgeon, anaesthetist, assistant and hospital; this takes a little longer because each quote is collected separately. Our guide to how surgery costs work in Melbourne explains the rebate, the fund benefit and the gap.

For GPs and emergency departments

Referrals for acute fractures can be sent by HealthLink (EDI: cogsurge), Medical-Objects (Collaborative Orthopaedic Group) or fax to (03) 9123 4403, and the patient can call (03) 9123 4402 to book at the same time. Please include the imaging report or the provider’s details. The referrer page has the full details and a downloadable referral form.