Chris Lavy is an orthopaedic surgeon in Oxford (UK) who lived and worked in Malawi for ten years. There he helped build an orthopaedic hospital and research unit. He was also one of the founders of COSECSA, the regional college of surgeons for East and Central Africa in 1999.

This review explores recent advances in fixator design and used in contemporary orthopaedic practice including the management of bone loss, complex deformity and severe isolated limb injury.