SIUst REPORT, 2016
The 22nd National Congress of the Italian Burns Society (Società Italiana Ustioni – SIUst) was held on 6th – 8th October 2016 in Alghero, Sardinia. As part of MBC’s continuing collaboration with SIUst, MBC was invited by Prof. Alma Posadinu, SIUst President and Director of the Burn Unit AOU in Sassari Sardinia, to organize a special MBC session. The topic of the session was “Challenges of Burn Treatment in the Mediterranean Area”. Speakers invited to take part were MBC President Bishara Atiyeh; MBC General Director Michele Masellis; Sonja Scholten–Jaegers from the Burn Centre of Groningen, The Netherlands; Tom Potokar Director of Interburns (International Network for Training, Education and Research in Burns), Consultant Plastic Surgeon at the Welsh Centre for Burns and Plastic Surgery in the UK and Honorary Associate Professor at Swansea University Wales; Ronan Le Floch, Réanimation chirurgicale et brûlés, PTMC, CHU Nantes, France and French Editor of the Annals of Burns and Fire Disasters; and Alessandro Masellis, Chairman of the MBC Prevention Strategies Committee and Vice General Director of MBC. Unfortunately, Alessandro Masellis was unable to participate due to an unforeseen last-minute commitment.
Presentations were:
Standards of Burn Care in the Mediterranean Area, B. Atiyeh
Capacity Building for Burn Care in Palestine, T. Potokar
EBA and Northern European Countries’ Contribution to Improving Burn Care in the Southern Mediterranean Area, S. Scholten
Epidemiology of Burns in Northern Europe vs. the Mediterranean Area. Is it possible to decrease burn incidence in the latter? R. Le Floch
The session was well attended and the presentations were followed by fruitful discussions.
During the SIUst General Assembly, Professor Michele Masellis proposed that the Annals of Burns and Fire Disasters, the official publication of MBC, EBA and SFB, become the official publication of the Italian Burns Society. The proposal was approved unanimously, which will further strengthen the MBC-SIUst relationship.
AMERICAN UNIVERSITY OF BEIRUT MEDICAL CENTER – AUBMC: EDUCATION AND TRAINING IN BURNS MANAGEMENT
Founded in 1866, the American University of Beirut bases its educational philosophy, standards and practices on the American liberal arts model of higher education. A teachingcentered research university, AUB has around 800 instructional faculty and a student body of around 8,000 students. The story of the American University of Beirut Medical Center (AUBMC) began 145 years ago in a small rented building in Zokak El-Blat in Beirut, home to the first classes of the School of Medicine. It became evident, and quite quickly, that the School of Medicine would need to expand to meet the needs and demands of the region. In 1902 a 200-bed hospital was established. In 1905, the School of Nursing – the first of its kind in the Middle East – was founded. Over the years, the need for continued expansion became clear. In 1970, a new state-of-theart medical center – the American University of Beirut Medical Center – was inaugurated. The new medical center was built with a 420-bed inpatient capacity, an elaborate outpatient facility, an emergency department, research laboratories, classrooms and offices for academic staff. Today, AUBMC is the only medical institution in the Middle East to have earned the four international accreditations of the Joint Commission International (JCI), Magnet®, College of American Pathologists (CAP) and the Accreditation Council for Graduate Medical Education – International (ACGME-I) attesting to its superior standards in patient-centered care, nursing, pathology/laboratory services and graduate medical education.
Plastic surgery at the American University of Beirut Medical Center (AUBMC) has a long and distinguished past that goes back to 1946. In the fall of that year, which coincided with the end of the Second World War, two distinguished surgeons, Dr. Allen O. Whipple, professor and chairman of the Department of Surgery at Columbia - Presbyterian Hospital in New York City, and Dr. J. Joseph MacDonald, arrived in Beirut and joined the Department of Surgery at AUBMC as visiting professors. Dr. MacDonald was a brilliant surgeon and an exemplary teacher. His plastic surgery procedures, which he performed at AUBMC, included the whole gamut of the specialty, both reconstructive and aesthetic. The results of his operations were remarkable and soon earned him a reputation for excellence and innovation. This boosted the reputation of AUBMC and attracted patients from Lebanon and the Middle East. A few of MacDonald’s graduating residents were encouraged to continue subspecialty training in leading centers in the U.S. The first generation of these residents included accomplished plastic surgeons that later assumed chairmanships of plastic surgery programs in the U.S., such as Dr. Vahram Bakamjian.
In 1988 a post-graduate training residency program in plastic surgery was established and in 2011, the division of plastic and reconstructive surgery became the first to be accredited by the European Board of Plastic, Reconstructive and Aesthetic Surgery (EBOPRAS) outside Europe. In 2013 it was also accredited by the Post-Graduate Dean of Surgery London University as a training center for UK-based trainees. To date, the residency program has successfully trained and graduated fifteen local and two regional plastic surgeons that are respected members of their community.
Despite all efforts, establishing a formal Burns Unit at AUBMC has not been possible. In order to provide residents with state-of-the-art education and training in burns management, an agreement has been reached with the Department of Plastic Surgery, Microsurgery and Burn Unit at the General Hospital of Athens “G. Genimatas” under the leadership of Prof. Dimosthenis Tsoutsos, aided by Dr. Jenny Kyriopoulous. This agreement, mediated by the Euro-Mediterranean Council for Burns and Fire Disasters – MBC, consists in sending plastic surgery residents to AUBMC for a training period in burns management at the General Hospital of Athens “G. Genimatas”.
The first concrete step towards the implementation of this burns education and training agreement will be the organization of a special burns symposium at AUBMC on January 14, 2017. The faculty is composed of Dimosthenis Tsoutsos, Jenny Kiriopoulos from the General Hospital of Athens “G. Genimatas”, Georges Ghanimeh, MBC National Representative, Imad Kaddoura, Amir Ibrahim, and Marwan Rizk from AUBMC. Topics to be discussed include:
Burns Pathology
Severity Index and Prognosis of Burn Injuries
Acute Resuscitation of Massive Burn Patients
Burn Wound Care
Acute Surgical Intervention and Wound Resurfacing
Inhalation Burn Injury
Metabolic Changes and Nutritional Support of Burn Patients
Pain Management and Anesthesia of Burn Patients
In line with the educational vocation of this activity, medical students and residents of all the medical schools in Lebanon have been invited to attend this symposium free of charge. This activity has been designated Continuing Medical Education (CME) credit hours by the Lebanese Order of Physicians. Nurses and all personnel involved in burns management, including Red Cross, civil defense and fire brigades from Lebanon and abroad are also invited.
In addition to the above-mentioned teaching activity, a Burns Workshop is now in the planning phase as part of the 48th Middle East Medical Assembly (MEMA) on May 11-13, 2017. The Global Congress in Conflict Medicine builds on AUBMC’s long tradition and expertise in conflict medicine, starting from the Lebanese war era and not ending with the current regional conflicts. Local, regional and international experts from both the civilian and military fields will be invited to share their experience and exchange ideas.
Prof Tom Potokar, Director of Interburns, Chair in Global Burn Injury Policy & Research, College of Human and Health Sciences, University of Swansea, and Consultant Plastic Surgeon at the Welsh Centre for Burns & Plastic Surgery, Swansea, Wales will conduct this workshop that includes formal presentations, practical and interactive sessions. By the end of the workshop, participants are expected to
understand difference in epidemiology and types of burns in conflict scenarios
be able to rapidly and effectively assess a burn injured patient
demonstrate ability to assess depth, surface area, presence of inhalation injury and any other injuries
understand emergency and acute management principles
demonstrate ability to make an effective management plan
understand principles of triage at the scene, in the emergency department and on the ward
demonstrate the ability to prioritize patients depending on injuries, environment, resources and abilities
Both the symposium and the workshop are endorsed by the Euro-Mediterranean Council for Burns and Fire Disasters – MBC
THE SECOND CONFERENCE OF THE ASSOCIATION OF KOSOVO AND ALBANIAN PLASTIC RECONSTRUCTIVE AND AESTHETIC SURGEONS WITH INTERNATIONAL PARTICIPATION
The Second Conference of the Association of Kosovo and Albanian Plastic Reconstructive and Aesthetic Surgeons with International Participation was held on 17th-18th November 2016 at the Emerald Hotel in Pristina - Kosovo. We had the honour and privilege of having participants from different countries as invited guest lecturers, and we are delighted to mention the Euro-Mediterranean Council for Burns and Fire Disasters (MBC) participation represented by Prof. Bishara Atiyeh (MBC President).
The conference was organized by the Kosovo and Albania Associations of Plastic, Reconstructive and Aesthetic Surgeons under the leadership of Dr.Violeta Zatriqi Dr.mr.sci (Kosovo) and Prof. Dr. Gjergji Belba (Albania). The 18 invited speakers were: Prof. Bishara Atiyeh - President of MBC (Lebanon), Erkki Torpila (Sweden), Prof. Paolo Perischetti (Italy), Prof. Albin Stritar (Slovenia), Prof. Ugur Kocer (Turkey), Prof. Jack McCann (Ireland), Prof. Ahmet Cinar Yasti (Turkey), Prof. Lennard Krysander (Sweden), Ayhan Kilic (Turkey), Ass. Prof Yigit Ozer Tiftikcioglu (Turkey), Prof. Selatin Oymen (Turkey), Dr. Yuksel Kankaya (Turkey), Dr. Melike Oruc (Turkey) and Dr. Koray Gursoy (Turkey). The conference was opened by Dr. Violeta Zatriqi Phd., President of the Association of Plastic, Reconstructive and Aesthetic Surgeons of Kosova, Prof. Dr. Hysni Arifi, Director of the Clinic of Plastic, Reconstructive and Aesthetic Surgery in Kosovo, and Prof. Gjergji Belba, Chief of the Service of Burns and Plastic Surgery at the University Hospital Center “Mother Teresa”.
1200 participants from Kosovo, Albania and the region attended the conference. Participants were mainly plastic surgeons, anesthetists, general surgeons and surgeons in specialties related to plastic surgery, such as orthopedics, oncologists and ophthalmologists. The conference was also attended by nurses, general practitioners, pharmacists and dentists.
Organized over two days, the scientific sessions included 64 lectures and presentations about the following general topics: Burns, Reconstructive surgery, Breast surgery, Head and neck surgery, Aesthetic surgery, Microsurgery and Oncology. The first day of the conference started with a presentation by Prof Dr. Hysni Arifi, Director of the Clinic of Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery in Kosovo, the only plastic surgery referral center in Kosovo, on the “History of Kosovo Plastic Surgery - Its direction and main challenges from the beginning until today”. The first session was about the pathology of burns, an important topic due to the large number of burn injuries we have in Kosovo. Guest speakers shared their experience in this field. Prof. Bishara Atiyeh made a presentation about “Standards of Burn Care in the Mediterranean Area”. Prof. Albin Stritar presented about treatment of burns in Slovenia “Janzenkovic Principles Postulating Burn Surgery as Well Adapted to New Surgical Approaches”. Two lectures about the Turkish experience in burns treatment in Ankara were presented by Prof. Dr. Ahmet Cinar: “Benefits of Hydro-Surgery in Burns Management” and “Designing a Burn Unit”. Prof. Gjergji Belba presented his experience about management of burn catastrophes in Albania entitled “Burns Catastrophes and Their Management”. Finally, Dr. Yuksek Kankaya talked about “Treatment of Post-Burn Sequelae”. Kosovo and Albanian Plastic Surgeons made additional presentations about specific topics related to burn injury management, including surgical approaches to severe burns, resuscitation of patients in the shock phase and treatment of burn wound infections. They presented important information regarding burn prevention and increasing the effectiveness of the treatment of burn patients in both countries.
In the Session about Reconstructive surgery, Prof. Erkki Torpila gave two important presentations entitled “Tension Lata” and “Wound Healing Using Negative Pneumatic Pressure”, and Prof. Ugur Kocer presented his experience in “Vacuum Assisted Closure Therapy”. Colleagues from Albania and Kosovo then made additional presentations on the reconstruction of wounds.
The third Session was on post-mastectomy breast reconstruction. Prof. Paolo Persichetti gave two presentations entitled “Surgical Strategy in Breast Reconstruction: Our Experience” and “Anterior Intercostal Artery Flap (AICAP) Autologous Augmentation in Post Bariatric Mastopexy”. Prof. Bishara Atiyeh’s presentation was on “Dermal Barrier With Skin-Sparing/Reducing Mastectomy for Direct–to-Implant Single-Stage Immediate (DISSI) Breast Reconstruction”.
The last session on the first day was on microsurgery and oncology. The highlight of this session was a presentation on “The Importance of Microsurgery in Reconstruction” made by the founder of Kosovar microsurgery Prof. Jack McCann from Ireland. Prof. Ayhan Kilic presented his experience in finger reimplantation and in “Re-vascularization strategies on defective nerve injuries”. Prof. Lennard Krysander gave two valuable presentations entitled “The Updated ISSVA Classification for Vascular Anomalies” and “A Review of Nomenclature and Guidelines to Current Treatment Modalities”. Additional presentations were given by colleagues from Kosovo.
The first session on the second day of the conference was dedicated to aesthetic surgery. Dr.Violeta Zatriqi talked about “15 Years of Experience in Aesthetic Surgery in Kosovo”; Ass.Prof Yigit Ozer Tiftikcioglu’s topic was “Current Techniques in Open Rhinoplasty”. Surgeons and dermatologists from Kosovo and Albania made another 11 presentations on aesthetic surgery. The second Session was on Head and Neck Surgery during which we had the opportunity to listen to Prof. Jack McCann talking about his vast experience in the field. Two other very interesting lectures where given by Prof. Selahattin Ozmen on “Correction of Congenital and Post-traumatic Craniofacial Deformities Using Resorbable Mesh and Plates” and “Face Transplantation - My Experience from Experimental Setting to the Clinical Reality” which were well received by the audience. It was the first time that a presentation on face transplantation was given in Kosovo. Prof. Gjergji Belba presented the topic: “Reconstructive Plastic Procedures for the Treatment of Pharyngo-Oesophageal Fistula After Laryngectomy”. Kosovar and Albanian maxillofacial surgeons gave four other presentations. The following session was about hand and limb surgery with two lecturers, Prof. Selcuk Isik “Reconstruction with Microvascular Free Tissue Transfers” and Prof. Ayhan Kilic “Finger replantations, indications and surgical techniques”. Three other lectures were made by plastic and orthopedic surgeons from Kosovo. The last session was for Nurses with seven topics about nurse experiences in the treatment of burned patients in Kosova and Albania.
Finally the Conference was closed by Dr. Violeta Zatriqi, President of the Association of Plastic, Reconstructive and Aesthetic Surgeons of Kosovo. Conference participation was accredited by the Ministry of Health Department of BEVM; attendees received 15 credits and speakers 20 credits.
In addition to the scientific program, the first day ended with a Gala Dinner attended by 180 guests during which foreign guests as well as founders of Kosovo Plastic Surgery Clinic and their collaborators from Albania were honoured, without forgetting to greet all the sponsors who made the organization of this conference possible. Moreover, a welcoming program was also arranged for foreign guest speakers that included a pre-conference city tour, lunch and welcoming traditional Albanian dinner. Following the closing ceremony another traditional dinner was offered to the guests.
Special thanks go to the organizing committee: Dr. Violeta Zatriqi, Dr. Ylber Zejnullahu, Dr. Sanije Abazi, Dr. Korab Berisha, who put together such a spectacular conference that was highly appreciated by all guests and participants. We also hope that this conference will open the doors to more training and experience for our staff and our newly graduating physicians.
The next planned activity is a formal MBC course in Kosovo.
Dr. Violeta Zatriqi Phd., Dr. Mr. sci. President of the Association of Plastic, Reconstructive and Aesthetic Surgeons of Kosovo University Clinical Center of Kosovo Clinic of Plastic Reconstructive Surgery
