By JAMES DOWD

Nearly 90 years ago, Dr. Willis C. Campbell wrote down everything he knew about orthopaedic surgery. His manuscript, published in 1939 as the first edition of Campbell's Operative Orthopaedics, is often referred to as “the bible of orthopaedic surgery.”

The text, which is revised every four to seven years by Campbell Clinic physicians in Memphis, remains a cornerstone reference for orthopaedic surgeons and residents around the globe. The newest edition, released in March 2026, covers a wide range of orthopaedic subspecialties. Translated into multiple languages, the text is read on every continent.

“We’re fiduciaries of the work that Dr. Campbell began nearly a century ago,” said Frederick Azar, MD, one of three physicians who edited the new edition alongside Drs. Jeffrey Sawyer and Thomas Throckmorton. “Our text is prepared by our physicians and references not only what we do here, but also work being done around the world."

Frederick Azar

That distinction matters to Azar. Unlike some multi-author surgical references, the text is written entirely by Campbell Clinic surgeons, with a significant number of the clinic’s physicians contributing to the 15th edition. Each chapter follows a standardized template, with updated techniques, illustrations and bulleted text designed for quick clinical reference.

A popular component of the 15th edition is Campbell's Concepts, a new feature distilling the essential knowledge the clinic’s surgeons have developed to optimize patient outcomes.

“We wanted to cover the latest things we’ve learned in the last five years,” Azar said. “Readers can go right to specific procedures and what we're doing in Memphis, what’s time-tested and what’s novel.”

The new edition also leans further into digital delivery than any before it. Every purchase includes an eBook version giving readers full access to the text and references, along with the ability to search, customize content, take notes and highlights, and have material read aloud. New high-quality videos and treatment algorithms round out the expanded digital package.

“Most people are not looking for four print volumes, though that’s still part of the offering when you get it,” Azar said. “The team worked closely with the publisher to curate more video content and make the digital version nimbler, so residents and practicing surgeons alike can access what they need faster.”

Beyond Campbell's Concepts, the 15th edition reflects how orthopaedic surgery itself has evolved. In addition to the three primary editors, the book now relies on designated section editors overseeing individual subspecialty areas, a structural change that Azar believes has sharpened the quality of the content.

“Subspecialties is where ortho and residents are going,” Azar said. “This helps meet that need.”

Azar also points to sweeping changes in clinical practice since earlier editions, from the shift toward same-day outpatient joint replacement to an expanded focus on optimizing patients before surgery.

A great deal has changed, including the inpatient setting, from when Azar joined the Campbell Clinic more than three decades ago. The facility’s physicians pioneered outpatient hip replacements, he noted, and the new edition reflects current thinking on identifying which patients are best suited for it. There is also guidance on addressing comorbidities such as smoking and obesity ahead of elective procedures to improve outcomes.

Other areas that have changed dramatically since the last edition are Orthobiologics, including stem cell therapies, along with robotics in orthopaedic care.

“Orthopaedics has always been fast to adopt technology,” Azar said. “But rather than including a technique simply because a physician somewhere has tried it, our editorial team vetted new procedures against the level of evidence behind them. Before we publish it, we fully research the information.”

Between editions, the Campbell Clinic Foundation, which provides research, editorial and administrative support for the publication, also produces Campbell Core, a companion resource that distills information from the text’s authors on the 100 highest-volume orthopaedic procedures.

“Because of technology, the world is smaller now and we can get information in real time and make changes,” Azar said. “The process has become markedly more efficient since electronic publishing and improved connectivity has reshaped how the team works.

Feedback flows constantly from a global network the editors call the “Campbell Club,” with more than 100 surgeons who weigh in on what should change in the electronic version between editions and what should be addressed in the next full edition. But for Azar, Sawyer and Throckmorton, the scale of the undertaking comes back to a single audience.

“It's not about us individually, it's about what we all do together,” Azar said. “The end user is the patient, and we’re committed to them.”