Heraeus-sponsored Andrew Sprowson Management of Infection fellowship

Moez Zeiton

This three week fellowship was completed at the renowned Endo Klinik in Hamburg, Germany who are international leaders in the management of prosthetic joint infections (PJIs).

I aimed to gain experience of PJI management in a high-volume centre, understand the diagnostic protocols, decision making process and revision techniques to ultimately benefit patients in my own practice in the UK.

The set-up for arthroplasty surgery at Endo Klinik is slick, refined and ultra-efficient allowing for maximum theatre utility using predefined protocols and procedures for the management of primary and revision (septic and aseptic) procedures. In particular, aggressive management of prosthetic joint infections results in very high successrates in this complex group of patients.

I was able to scrub in and assist on approximately 32 primary and revision arthroplasty procedures. Surgeons were very accommodating and explained their techniques, strategies and decision-making algorithms. It was particularly fascinating to see the aggressive approach towards soft tissue and bone debridement in PJI revision procedures.

I had the opportunity to gain exposure to some of the research projects taking place at Endo Klinik and contribute to several ongoing projects as well as help to plan future international collaborative projects which I am hopeful will come to fruition.

The educational experience of this fellowship was excellent, and I would like to thank Dr Mustafa Citak and Professor Thorsten Gehrke for their help with facilitating this fellowship. I would also like to thank the BOA and their sponsors for their generous support and funding to allow me to pursue this opportunity.