Non NTN Ionescu Fellowship

Non NTN Ionescu Fellowship 2017-18

This Fellowship gave me the opportunity to visit the two European centres for advancing my knowledge and exposure to the Video Assisted Thoracoscopic Surgery and advanced thoracic oncological procedures in Copenhagen and Paris.

Lakshmi Srinivasan MBBS, FRCS (Surg-in-Gen), FRCS (Cth)

Ivisited the state of the art facility for During my stay I witnessed a wide variety tracheal sleeve resections. I also was part of Video Assisted Thoracoscopic Surgery of open surgery ranging from redo sternotomies major resections of sarcomatous deposits (VATS) and had the opportunity to work, for recurrent thymectomy with pericardial in the supraclavicular region and advanced for over a month, with Dr Rene Petersen and reconstruction to double sleeve resections lung cancer resection for upper lobe Dr Henrik Hansen who run the sub-specialist and also pleurectomy and decortication for tumours involving the chest wall using the service in VATS at the Rigshospitalet in mesothelioma. I also had the opportunity to anterior Dartevelle approach and the Shaw Copenhagen. This is a tertiary referral thoracic see trauma and bilateral lung transplantation Paulson posterior approach. unit in Denmark and serves a population with the on call team. This is the only centre for The inclusion of thoracic surgeons of 2.1 million including some of the other mesothelioma referrals in all of Denmark. Lead in the retrieval of donor organs (lungs), Scandinavian islands. It is highly accredited by Dr Jesper Ravn and Dr Bodil Brandt, they chronic pulmonary endarterectomy for for popularising the anterior approach and have a vast experience over the years in extra- pulmonary hypertension (CTEPH) and has an established mentorship programme for pleural pneumonectomy and now pleurectomy peripheral vascular operations being the senior trainees and consultants at all levels & decortication for epithelioid mesothelioma. performed by the thoracic surgeons gives to train in VATS the trainee versatility techniques. It is a in surgical skills and high volume centre with a throughput “My visit to the MarieLanne Longue the holistic approach to the speciality. of 1200 major cardiac cases 75% Hospital in southern Paris lasted two The advanced oncological resection of which are by VATS and 54% weeks and I had the valuable experience skills are put to use less frequently but are of the lobectomies done by VATS. to attend the pulmonary hypertension useful in the surgeon’s armamentarium I had the opportunity of MDT and the regular lung cancer MDTs.” faced with locally advanced tumours watching 25 major which would otherwise VATS cases of have good results which 23 were with R0 resection VATS anatomical lung resections including My visit to the MarieLanne Longue in combination with neo-adjuvant and two segmentectomies and two thymectomies. Hospital in southern Paris lasted two weeks adjuvant therapy. The techniques were reproducible and and I had the valuable experience to attend the I thoroughly enjoyed my visit to the standardised for the Unit. This gave me the pulmonary hypertension MDT and the regular two hospitals and would like to thank the opportunity to watch the techniques closely lung cancer MDTs. I had the opportunity SCTS committee for having chosen me to and learn how to plan, anticipate, avoid, to work and learn from Professor Elie Fadel be the recipient of the Non- NTN Ionescu and in some cases, manage intra-operative and his team. The hospital is dedicated to Fellowship 2017. This Fellowship has complications. Since my visit, I have developed cardiovascular and thoracic surgery and is broadened my knowledge in thoracic surgery my abilities further to be able to become the tertiary referral centre for all pulmonary and taught me advanced skills in minimally independent operator in this technique. I am diseases from the peripheral hospitals. In invasive surgery, advanced oncological currently using VATS for lung resections in addition to routine lung cancer surgery, I surgery and management that I am able to my current practice as Consultant in Thoracic witnessed chronic thrombo-embolectomy apply to day-to-day practice as a thoracic Surgery in Stoke on Trent, UK. for the chronic pulmonary hypertension and consultant in the United Kingdom. n