Peter A. Cole, MD

01/15/2026

Explore Dr. Cole’s background and the team behind his work. Learn about the core procedures they specialize in and the research shaping modern orthopaedic trauma care—alongside patient stories that reflect the outcomes and experiences that matter most.

Discover more at drpetercole.com

01/14/2026

Most anyone in a major metropolitan area would go to a joint surgeon for a hip replacement, a sports surgeon for an ACL surgery, and a hand surgeon for their carpal tunnel release; so why wouldn’t we want the same specialized treatment for a broken bone? The Orthopaedic Trauma Association (OTA) became incorporated in 1985, with several founding pioneers from right here in the Twin Cities. The OTA has had advanced training one-year fellowships for decades, with a certification process that goes back about fifteen years. Fracture surgery is complicated, times and technology move quickly, and most importantly the delivery of orthopaedic trauma care is challenging, resource-intensive, and requires major hospital investment and cultural change to execute properly. Wouldn’t you want a Fracture Surgeon treating your broken bone, someone who has dedicated their career to the discipline?

My vision was for patients with broken bones, from anywhere in our metropolitan Twin Cities, to land in hospitals with dedicated fracture care hospitals and surgeons. I wasn’t interested in helping to “staff call” at a bunch of hospitals, but I was motivated to help build proper Ortho Trauma Programs in such hospitals. I would bet that Minnesota has become The Safest State to Break a Bone, and you can read about how this came about fresh off the press, in this The New England Journal of Medicine (NEJM Catalyst) article, "The NorthStar Trauma Network: An Orthopedic Care Network across Three Health Systems."

🔗Read Here: https://catalyst.nejm.org/doi/full/10.1056/CAT.24.0516

01/07/2026

OTA Webinar Tonight!

🔗 Please sign up for tonight’s discussion via:

https://zoom.us/meeting/register/vJAkdu-qpj0jZdNiEDs3kOhK8r4b_hRwFA #/registration

01/07/2026

Learn more at: https://scalpelatthecross.org/articles/

12/15/2025

Jamming with Japan

Can’t stop thinking about Japan! I arrived the day after Ohtani & Yamamoto hauled their team to World Series history and a week after the president and prime minister rallied in Tokyo, a reveling in US-Japan relations.

My mission was to heighten awareness and advance treatment for Scapula and Rib Fractures at The AO Trauma Masters Course for Complex Fractures. The interest level was as high as I have witnessed anywhere and I congratulate the hosts and participants for their exceptionalism in academics and hospitality. In fact, the hospitality was so outrageous, they built a pub for me!

Whether keynote addresses, groupcase-based discussions, or cadaver workshops, these new friends were locked-in. Perhaps the highlight for me was to answer the question over a plenary lunchtime session, “How did all this work on the scapula and chest wall get started?” The underlying curiosity was, how does one go about operating in new spaces where no evidence yet exists? This is a very important question.

12/10/2025

What’s next at the ?
🎥 Tune in for tomorrow's Window on the AO Davos Courses—streaming live interviews, 💬 case discussions, and 🚀 innovation showcases.

📅 Session highlights on December 11:

⏰ 10:20 AM - 11:15 AM CET
🦴 Tips and tricks in the reduction of complex plateau fractures
In this AO Trauma live surgery demonstration, our expert surgeons, Sean Nork and Robinson Pires, showcase tips and tricks for the reduction of complex plateau fractures.

⏰ 1:15 PM - 2:15 PM CET
💪 Scapula fractures
Expert surgeon Peter Cole will help you enhance your knowledge and skills for the treatment of scapula fractures in this AO Trauma live surgery demonstration.

🔐 Log in to watch: https://ow.ly/IXF650XGPr9

12/08/2025

AO-THEG (expert group) on 2-day Swiss Grind! As productive a meeting as we've had!

TH=Thoracic
EG=Expert Group
AO=Arbeitsgemeinschaftfüf Osteosynthesefragen
and is German for Association for the Study of Internal Fixation of Fractures, a pioneering group of Swiss surgeons founded in 1958 to standardize and advance surgical treatment for fractures.

Innovation for chest wall pathology solutions;
Advancing research protocols; Education for AO Reference; Research Institute tour; Celebration!

12/03/2025

drpetercole.com

12/03/2025

11/20/2025

"The largest GAP between standard of care and standard of practice exists in the surgical stabilization of rib fractures—SSRF.” I have quoted my friend Fred Pierracci many times while teaching on the subject since I heard him say this during his Presidential Chest Wall Injury Society Address several years ago. It is estimated that perhaps only 10% of indicated rib fractures are treated with surgical stabilization, and the morbidity and mortality of this missed opportunity is high.

ACS Press Release: https://www.facs.org/quality-programs/trauma/quality/best-practices-guidelines/

Just over a year ago, I was asked to be a part of a task force to write the 1rst ever guidelines on Chest Wall Injury for the American College of Surgeons. With tremendous respect for the project Co-Chairs, Mike McKee and Ron Gross, I could not say no despite the proposed aggressive schedule to HAMMER through the project inside of a year with biweekly meetings, “Are you kidding me!”

https://www.facs.org/quality-programs/trauma/quality/best-practices-guidelines/ ………and here we are!

There are few published documents that influence care—CHANGE CARE—like ACS Best Practice Guidelines. It was a high honor to be one of two orthopedic surgeons from North America selected for this activity and it was a career highlight. I am thankful to our Chairman and all members for such a growth opportunity. The endorsement of this document from not only ACS but the Orthopaedic Trauma Association and Chest Wall Injury Society brings it even closer to home. Congratulations!

11/11/2025

Lateral Implosion Injuries………….are THE BOMB!! 💣💥

After treating myriads of patients with Scapula Fractures, I began seeing associated injuries and started thinking about all this pathology in a different way. It was like taking off one blinder after another, opening my scapula mind to a shoulder girdle mind, and then to the world of ribs, and then subsequently to an extent that my entire patient practice has evolved into a fascinating Ortho-Thoracic career.

Thanks to my wonderful co-authors, we responded with a multidisciplinary themed article which underscores the recognition of traditional orthopaedic diagnoses for general & thoracic surgeons, which promotes better communication between trauma-focused specialties.

“Lateral implosion injury: a multidisciplinary management approach”

https://ccts.amegroups.org/article/view/104671/html

11/06/2025