By Dr Adel Shtiwi and Dr Ahmad Abu Tayeh; Workshop Organizing Committee , July, 31st, 2009
With the first laparoscopic procedure carried out in 1910 by Hans Christian Jacobaeus in humans, the ensuing several decades have witnessed numerous individuals refining the approach further. The introduction of the first computer chip television camera was a seminal event in the field of laparoscopy. There are a number of advantages to the patient with laparoscopic surgery versus an open procedure. Firstly, it reduces the risk of hemorrhage , and hence, the need for a blood transfusion. Secondly, it is associated with smaller incisions and less pain, leading to less pain medication needed. Thirdly, although procedure times are usually slightly longer, hospital stay is less, and often with a same day discharge which leads to a faster return to everyday living. This is beside the reduced exposure of internal organs to possible external contaminants thereby reduced risk of acquiring infections. For societies with limited resources, including Palestine, these issues have become of great importance. In this context, IMET2000-Pal sought the opinions of many Palestinian surgeons about this new modality and discovered great interest. Therefore, and in response to this need, we organized a one-day workshop under the title of “Laparoscopic Surgery- the State of Art” on Friday the 31st, 2009 at the City Inn Hotel in Ramallah. The workshop was attended by 42 Surgeons from all over Palestine, was led by Dr. Fahmi Jubran : Dean Assistant for the Clinical Affairs – Medical School , Al-Quds University; Chief Surgeons - Al-Ahli Hospital – Hebron, and Dr. Khalid Qree : Head of Surgery Department - Medical School , Al-Quds University Chief Surgeons - Al-Maqased Hospital – Jerusalem.
For this workshop, we invited Mr. Mohammad Abu Hilal MD, FRCS a Palestinian doctor who is working now as a surgical consultant and a Senior Lecturer in the Faculty of Medicine, Southampton University, UK.
He is a General Surgeon, sub-specialized in hepatobiliarypancreatic and laparoscopic surgery. He is one of the leaders in laparoscopic liver and pancreatic surgery in Europe with the largest personal series in the UK. He is often invited as a guest speaker in national and international meetings and frequently his operations are transmitted via life link video-conference to major HPB meetings.
The following topics were covered:
- Liver surgery and management of colorectal liver metastasis
- Laparoscopic liver surgery; state of the art
- Pancreatic Surgery
- Advances in the management of acute pancreatitis
- Laparoscopic cholecystectomy and bile duct injury: risk management and long term implications
- Laparoscopic pancreatic surgery: state of the art
While more than 90% of the audience rated the workshop as excellent, very many of them have written to us asking for more such activities.
The workshop material were not only uploaded to our webpage, but also sent over to each participant on a CD with a letter of thanks and a certificate of attendance. This workshop will now be followed by arrangements for 6 Palestinian surgeons to go to one of the best centers of excellence in laparoscopic surgery in Europe for a week of training on simulators. The project will be exclusively funded by IMET2000.
