HISTORY OF THE AO AND ITS GLOBAL EFFECT ON OPERATIVE FRACTURE TREATMENT

In 1958 a group of Swiss general and orthopaedic surgeons established the AO (Arbeitsgemeinschaft fur Osteosynthesefragen) or the Associatio n of the Study of Internal Fixation (ASIF) to strive to transform the contemporary treatment of fractures in Switzerland, This association w as revolutionary in development of instruments and implants for operat ive fracture treatment, The first instructional course for teaching th e use of these instruments and implants occurred in Davos, Switzerland , in the newly founded Laboratory of Experimental Surgery in 1960, Thr ough a process of internal quality control (AO documentation) the clin ical success of these new techniques and implants became evident, Oper ative fracture treatment gained acceptance throughout Europe and final ly worldwide, AO/International (AOI) was founded in 1972 to expand edu cation and the teaching programs for surgeons and operating personnel on an international basis, In 1984, the AO/ASIF Foundation was created with an AO Board of Trustees comprising 90 leading trauma surgeons fr om throughout the world, Continuous research, implant and instrument d evelopment, clinical documentation, and multifaceted educational oppor tunities are coordinated by the AO/ASIF Foundation to maintain its pos ition as the international authority in the treatment of trauma. The m edical community recognizes today the enormous positive global effect that this respected and ever changing organization has had by continua lly improving operative fracture treatment.