A biography of John Sullivan (prosthetist)

John Sullivan is a leader in the world of prosthetics. His speciality is transfemoral osseointegration which is the process of attaching prostheses directly into the skeletal system. This article provides some information on John Sullivan and his internationally renowned work in prosthetics.

John Sullivan's training

John Sullivan is a prosthetist based out of the United Kingdom. He has been involved with amputee care in Roehampton, England since 1978. He began as an apprentice limb maker with J.E. Hanger. He trained for four years, from 1987 to 1991. This training included working with a mentor, who had allocated time to teach and who was recognised as a teacher. While he was learning the trade, he was also expected to attend college classes and workshops to learn theory and refine the craft. John Sullivan then completed a two year part-time research Masters of Science with University College of London in September 2006. He is now an external examiner for final year prosthetic and orthotic students with University of Salford. He also has a private clinic and provides articles, research and speeches on prosthetics internationally.

John Sullivan's speciality: Transfemoral osseointegration

John Sullivan has a special interest in transfemoral osseointegration. This is a process in which a prosthetic is attached directly into the skeletal system. The benefit of this process is a improvement in the quality of life of patients. He has been involved with a clinical trial of this process in Roehampton since 1997. Transfemoral osseointegration has been successful in other areas of Europe. In Sweden, a study was done between May 1990 and June 2008. There were 100 patients who underwent the surgeries for the direct attachment of prostheses. After two years, a follow up was conducted. 68 patients were still using their prostheses. Four patients were no longer using the implant and eleven had removed the implant. The other people originally part of the study had died or were in the process of receiving an implant and going through rehabilitation. Out of the failed case studies, most of them were from a time before rehabilitation was established with protocol. The results were very promising. John Sullivan's work is moving this process forward. One of his concerns is that the four years of training with a mentor is no longer the regular method of learning to work with prosthetics. Therefore, it is difficult to find younger technicians who are interested or capable of working with transfemoral osseointegration. References: -Proactiveprosthetics.co.uk -Rehab.research.va.gov (study by K. Hagberg and R. Branemark)
Speech by John Sullivan, compiled by the Limbless Association, 2001