September saw the First Congress of the Pan Arab Federation for Reconstructive Microsurgery and the Lebanese Plastic & Reconstructive Microsurgery Conference.
The event was held in Beirut with a heavy presence from St Thomas’ Hospital microsurgery team. We had eight podium presentations with two of our senior surgeons chairing sessions. Much of the St Thomas’ content this year focused on training future plastic surgeons.
Nadine Hachach-Haram sparked a huge amount of interest with her talk on Proximie. She is the co-founder of this global group who use augmented reality technology to help surgeons get remote assistance and training from anywhere in the world. Through its patented platform, doctors can virtually transport themselves in to any clinical setting anywhere in the world to visually and practically interact and collaborate. The programme has earned Nadine the British Empire Medal in the Queen’s Birthday Honours.
The Mi4 Laboratory, started by St Thomas’ very own Pari Naz Mohanna, was also presented at the meeting as it has recently been backed by the Plastic Surgery Specialty Advisory Committee. This means that microsurgical simulation labs will be set up in all UK plastic surgery units providing a stepwise training programme with objective assessment for microsurgical skills. This not only streamlines training opportunities across the UK but also modernises training techniques, making them more applicable to the trainees’ shift patterns.
As well as the academic programme, the team was also involved in a packed entertainment itinerary with trips to Byblos, a Lebanese vineyard and of course Beirut’s top night spots. All in all, it was an excellent trip for those involved. Our heartfelt thanks go to the Lebanese Microsurgical team who hosted us.
Miss Victoria Rose, Consultant Plastic, Reconstructive and Aesthetic Surgeon