The 10th Emergency Abdominal Surgery Course run by Donegal Clinical Research Academy was held in Royal College of Surgeons of Ireland in Dublin on April 1st 2016. The 100 doctors who attended were treated to 9 international world leaders in Emergency Surgery from 3 continents. These included Professors Marja Boermeester-Amsterdam Holland, Rangjith Ellawala-Colombo Sri Lanka, Paula Ferrada-Richmond USA, Tina Gaader-Oslo Norway, Yoram Klein-Tel Aviv Israel, Hayato Kurihara-Milan Italy,Carlos Mesquita-Coimbra Portugal, Selman Uranus-Gratz Austria and Pantelis Vassiliu-Athens Greece.

The international key note speakers were complemented by 8 Irish Surgeons, Radiologists and Gastroenterologists including Professor Calvin Coffey-University Hospital Limerick, Professor Simon Cross-Waterford University Hospital, Professor Ronan O’Connell-St Vincent’s University Hospital, Dr Barry Kelleher-Gastroenterologist-Mater Dublin, Dr Leo Lawler-Radiologist-Mater Dublin, Mr Ken Mealy-Surgeon Co-Lead Acute Hospital Program, Dr Siobhan McGrane- Radiologist Limerick, Dr Chris Steele-Gastroenterologist Letterkenny University Hospital.

The participants, mostly from Ireland but some from Italy, raved about the course and the manner in which it was delivered. As one surgical trainee stated “Never been at such an excellent meeting, perfect organisation! Thank you”. The course was attended by a small number of nurses which Mr Sugrue feels is so important in selecting the team approach to care.

Mr Michael Sugrue from Letterkenny University Hospital, who developed and chaired the course, was proud that such an initiative (now in its 4th year) was leading emergency surgery care training around the world. The course was first run in Letterkenny in 2012; it will run this year in Asia, South America and next year in North America. Mr Sugrue said he would love to be able to run the course in the Donegal Clinical Research Academy’s newly designed auditorium, which has planning permission but needs further capital funding before it can proceed.
The Chair of Donegal Clinical Research Academy Trust Henry McGarvey said it will improve outcomes for those attending with acute abdominal conditions, such as appendicitis, gall bladder disease and bowel cancer.
The next course will be held in Donegal on July 25th where remarkably 40 of the world leaders in surgery will come to the North West.

Almost there, A beacon of light!

NUI Galway Medical Academy at Letterkenny, December 2015. This modern campus is getting excitedly close to completion. Our medical students, who are such integral and participatory components of life in Letterkenny University Hospital, will soon have a ‘state of the art’ building within which they will have great facilities to help consolidate their learning.

Letterkenny University Hospital’s 4th Annual Multidisciplinary Research Symposium was held on Friday 27^th November 2015. It was a hugely successful event showcasing the extensive range and quality of multidisciplinary clinical research being undertaken at the hospital. The judging panel had a tough job adjudicating as the calibre of research presented on the day was of an extremely high quality.

Two invited guest speakers delivered stimulating lectures on their specialist areas.  Dr Sam Huddart, Consultant Anaesthetist NHS Foundation Trust, Redditch UK, gave a stimulating talk on ‘Quality improvement and emergency laparotomy. Dr Petrousjka van den Tol, a Consultant Breast Surgeon from the University Hospital of Amsterdam Holland, shared her work on ‘New developments in Dutch Breast Cancer Surgery’. All the prizewinners (pictured below) were presented with their medals by Dr Sam Huddart and Dr Petrousjka van den Tol. 

Pictured: Mary Byrne, NUIG,
receiving her 1^st place medal for best medical students’ oral presentation. Mary’s research, centred on the bacterium-Yersinia entercolitica, was entitled ‘Is Yersinia entercolitica as a cause of community-acquired diarrhoea in the west of Ireland underdetected? A comparison of selective culture and molecular detection.

Pictured: Dr Sinead O’Gorman, Consultant in Emergency Department, accepting the 1^st place medal for best medical students’ poster presentation on behalf of Eoin Farrell. Eoin’s poster related to the ‘Development of a model to predict bed requirements for patients requiring admission from the Emergency Department’.

Pictured: Dr Ashfaque Memon - Reg with Dr Miranda receiving his 1^st place medal for best NCHD oral presentation. Dr Memon’s research was on ‘Thromboprophylaxis in patients with atrial fibrillation admitted by the medical team’. Best poster in the NCHD category went to Dr Michael Casey- SHO with Dr Keatings- who carried out an audit on emergency oxygen administration in Letterkenny University Hospital.

Pictured: Alison Johnston, Research Nurse at Breast Centre North West, accepting the 1^st place medals for best Allied health professionals’ oral and poster presentations. Alison presented the results of a research project carried out at Breast Centre North West, this study looked specifically at evaluating the current assessment and screening of primary relatives of breast cancer patients.

Letterkenny University Hospital’s re-excision rate in conservative breast cancer is one third the national average. A low re-excision rate must be a balance between oncological, functional and cosmetic outcomes. Better Outcomes for Breasts (BOBs Project) is a new exciting, objective patient-outcomes monitoring tool developed at the Breast Unit. The breast nurse specialist Geraldine MacGregor and Alison Johnston, research nurse, were delighted that their poster describing the development of this new outcomes tool in women undergoing breast conserving surgery  was 1^st place winner in the Allied health professionals category.

Saolta CEO Awards

The Breast Team at Letterkenny University Hospital and Donegal Clinical Research Academy attended the Saolta CEO Awards on 13th November 2015 in Sligo. Their Multidisciplinary Breast Cancer Course was a finalist in the Education and Training category. Pictured left to right: Mr Paddy Rooney- Assistant General Manager at Letterkenny University Hospital, Geraldine MacGregor- Breast Nurse Specialist, Mr Maurice Powers- CEO of Saolta, Ann McGowan-Mammographer and Alison Johnston- Breast Research Nurse. Missing from the Team photo are Dr Katherine McGowan, Dr Jiri Vyskocl, Dr Hajnalka Gyorffy and Mr Michael Sugrue.
Breast Centre North West and Donegal Clinical Research Academy organised this 2nd international Breast Cancer Multidisciplinary course at the Royal College of Surgeons in Dublin on Friday 31st July 2015. This course is unique in that it brings together all the disciplines involved in breast cancer care in a one day course that is a mixture of the latest evidence in breast cancer care and case scenario discussion. All attendees are exposed to some of the latest developments in breast cancer care.
This course is unique worldwide and it has received excellent reviews from its initial debut last year. Four international world leaders in breast cancer care complemented the excellent National Faculty of twenty consultants in surgery, radiology, oncology, pathology, radiation oncology nursing and allied health. The international leaders included Mr Asgeirsson from Iceland, Professor Degnim from the Mayo Clinic United States, Ms MacNeill from The Royal Marsden, London and Dr Rubio from Barcelona in Spain.
Mr Michael Sugrue, course convener, said the day was highly successful and rated by the attendees as one of the best breast cancer courses that they had attended.

Good News for The Breast Unit at Letterkenny University Hospital.

The Breast Unit at Letterkenny University Hospital, Breast Centre North West, was recently awarded with the William O’Keeffe prize in surgery at the Waterford Surgical meeting in conjunction with Royal Academy of Medicine in Ireland held on the 17th October 2015.

Michelle Choynowski was awarded the William O’Keeffe prize for best original research and Javid Ghomashi was awarded best prize for poster presentation of original research.

Mr Michael Sugrue, Breast Surgeon, was delighted with the outcome; he was particularly pleased as these two summer research students, 3rd and 4th year medical students at NUIG, were in competition against Surgical Registrars and those undertaking thesis and Masters in surgery. Michelle Choynowski’s work looked at variability and re-excision rates nationally and internationally following breast conservative surgery. This research was prompted by the desire to avoid repeat surgery in patients undergoing conservative breast surgery. Mr Michael Sugrue is particularly pleased as Letterkenny University Hospital has one of the lowest re-excision rates in Ireland and has been to the forefront nationally and internationally in providing one stop surgery to avoid re-operation. Currently the hospital’s re-excision rate is under 10% compared to 33% nationally.

Alison Johnston, Research Co-Ordinator at the unit who is funded by community donations, said that Javid Ghomashi’s work had been pivotal in the new Better Outcomes for Breasts (BOB) Project being undertaken at the hospital. Javid’s work had identified the variability in lymphedema internationally and came up with a range of new measures which have been implemented at Letterkenny University Hospital; all patients now undergoing conservative breast surgery are entered into the BOB Project with careful monitoring of their functional and cosmetic results. Breast Centre North West has received awards over the years but this award is particularly pleasing. Mr Sugrue said that the community funding had allowed research to take place at the unit and this year six summer research fellows contributed to an exciting research programme. Their information and data will be presented at the annual Hospital Research Day on 27th November 2015, the same day as our Breast Ball.

Calling for all Clinical Abstracts

Entries will be accepted from all Clinical Researchers, Nursing & Allied Professionals who have recently undertaken a Research Project.

DCRA continues its international education program with Leaders in Surgery from Iberian peninsula and South America when it runs its third Portuguese Surgery Course in Coimbra Portugal this November

Mr Sugrue says it is a great honour that this course, developed in Letterkenny Hospital has received such international acclaim. It will be run in Asia and South America next year

Breast Centre North West and Donegal Clinical Research Academy organised an international Breast Cancer Multidisciplinary course at the Royal College of Surgeons in Dublin on Friday 31st July 2015. This course is unique in that it brings together all the disciplines involved in breast cancer care in a one day course that is a mixture of the latest evidence in breast cancer care and case scenario discussion. All attendees are exposed to some of the latest developments in breast cancer care.

Geraldine MacGregor, Breast Nurse Specialist at Letterkenny Hospital, said that this course is unique worldwide and it has received excellent reviews from its initial debut last year. She was pleased that Letterkenny could bring four international world leaders in breast cancer care to Ireland to complement the excellent National Faculty of twenty consultants in surgery, radiology, oncology, pathology, radiation oncology nursing and allied health. The international leaders included Mr Asgeirsson from Iceland, Professor Degnim from the Mayo Clinic United States, Ms MacNeill from The Royal Marsden, London and Dr Rubio from Barcelona in Spain.

Mr Michael Sugrue said the day was highly successful and rated by the attendees as one of the best breast cancer courses that they had attended.

Some of the Faculty members of the 2nd Breast Cancer Multidisciplinary Course held in Royal College of Surgeons in Dublin. From left to right: Geraldine MacGregor, Kevin Barry, Hajnalka Gyorffy, Jiri Vyskocil, Fiona MacNeill, John Kennedy, Kristjan Asgeirsson, Isobel Rubio, Katherine McGowan, Reem Salman and Michael Sugrue.

Ms MacNeill Royal Marsden London lecturing at the course.

Mr Michael Sugrue recently spoke to three hundred surgeons from forty countries in Berlin on wound care and shared his experience from Letterkenny General Hospital and DCRA. He outlined in addition the excellent outcomes from appendicectomy at the hospital. 

Donegal Clinical Research Academy leads the way in Emergency Surgery Education.

Donegal Clinical Research Academy hosted another successful course on Emergency Surgery at The Royal College of Surgeons in Dublin on the April 10th 2015. 60 delegates from Ireland and overseas attended this one day course; the International faculty were from Portugal, Spain, the UK, Italy and the United States.

In 2014 this course was the winner of the Irish Healthcare Awards for best educational meeting. The feedback from the delegates was again outstanding; reflecting the mature nature of this course which Donegal Clinical Research Academy now runs in Spain and Portugal. Parts of the course have also been run in Italy and Central America.

New breaking research from Donegal Clinical Research Academy in the Breast Unit North West has identified that patients who failed to attend for BreastCheck or be screened for high risk family history have a delayed presentation in terms of cancer size and stage. Alison Johnston has presented this data at the European Society of Surgical Oncology in Liverpool and it was recently published.

Johnston A, Curran S and Sugrue M. (2015) Failure to Engage in Breast Screening and Risk Assessment Results in More Advanced Stage at Diagnosis. Advances in Breast Cancer Research, 4, 53-62. doi: 10.4236/abcr.2015.42006.

Breast Cancer Multidisciplinary Course.

Donegal Clinical Research Academy is proud to work with the Breast Centre North West in delivering and supporting the development of the Breast Cancer Multidisciplinary Course on July 31st in the Royal College of Surgeons in Ireland, Dublin. Four international world leaders in breast cancer are attending the meeting, it promises to be one of the more exciting interactive breast courses of 2015. The course is designed to incorporate all disciplines involved in the delivery of breast cancer care and it targets the latest developments in breast cancer delivery.

Emergency Abdominal Surgery Course
Afternoon

13.15 Management Upper GI Bleed
April 10th 2015 Dublin Ireland F Catena
08.00 Welcome Michael Sugrue
13.35 Case Scenario
8.05 What's good and Bad in Emergency
Surgery
Michael Sugrue
08.25 Appendicitis The latest I Anderson
08.45 Case Scenario
Panel Cross Martinez McGrane
09.05 Diverticulitis Keys to Management
D Beddy
09.25 Case Scenario
Panel Mealy Mesquita Lawler

09.45
Management of LBO E Andrews
10.05 Case Scenario
Panel Beddy Kelleher Lawler
10.30 Morning Tea.
11.00
Pancreatitis D Jenkins
11.20 Case Scenario
Panel Steele Lawler Mealy
11.50
Cholangitis Complicated Cholecstitis
S Uranus
12.10 Case Scenario
Panel Kelleher McGrane Beddy
Lunch 12.30.

Meet the Sponsors

Panel
Kelleher Mealy Lawler

14.00
Management of Lower GI Bleed
D Mc Namara
14.20 Case Scenario
Panel Steele Lawler Jenkins
14.50
Acute Mesenteric Ischaemia S Cross
15.10-15.30 Afternoon Tea .

15.30
Small Bowel Obstruction I Martinez
15.50 Case Scenario
Panel Mesquita McGrane Mealy
16.20
When to open/close abdomen
M Sugrue
16.40 Case Scenario
Panel Uranus Lawler Jenkins
17.05
Summary M Sugrue
17.20
Close of Course K Mealy
Registration Fee 100 €

Contact Denise Colgan RCSI
353 1 4022188 This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.
Course enquiries This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.

Faculty

Mr Emmet Andrews Colorectal surgeon Cork
Mr Iain Anderson Surgeon Manchester UK
Mr David Beddy Colorectal Surgeon Letterkenny
Mr Simon Cross Vascular/General Surgeon Waterford
Dr Don Jenkins Trauma.Emerg Surgeon Mayo Clinic USA
Dr Fausto Catena Surgeon Parma Italy
Dr Barry Kelleher Gastroenterologist Mater Dublin
Dr Leo Lawler Radiologist Mater Dublin
Dr Isidro Martinez Surgeon Torreveija Spain
Mr Ken Mealy Surgeon Co Lead Acute Hospital Program
Dr Carlos Mesquita Coimbra Portugal
Dr Siobhan McGrane Radiologst Letterkenny
Ms Debbie McNamara Colorectal Surgeon Beaumont Dublin
Dr Chris Steele Gastroenterologist Letterkenny
Mr Michael Sugrue Surgeon Letterkenny
Prof Selman Uranus Surgeon Gratz Austria

Welcome to the Sixth Emergency Abdominal
Surgery Course. The first was held in Letterkenny
Donegal in May 2012 and the most recent in
Coimbra Portugal and Torreveija Spain. This
course builds on its success and is further
enhanced by an international faculty who are
leaders in Emergency Surgery.

World leading courses in Emergency Surgery are
well established with ESTES in Europe and
MOSES in Australia and New Zealand. EASC
curriculum focuses on the acute abdomen, in a
multidisciplinary shared learning approach. It will
bring you a level of discussion you have not heard
before and enhance your ability on-duty as a
surgeon, gastroenterologist or radiologist; either
as a trainee or a specialist. This course is about
the patient and common emergencies.

Course Goals

Understanding the natural history of key
emergency surgery presentations, with
emphasis on decision making and
operative/intervention tips and traps to optimise
outcome. This coupled with a manual
containing lectures and the latest literature
abstracts will ensure your patients are getting
optimal outcomes.

Who should attend ?If
you treat or manage a patient with an acute
abdomen this course is a must for you!

Donegal Clinical Research Academy would like to
thank the Colleges,Trade and RCSI in particular
for their support and the sponsors without whom
we could not share this course with you.

Michael Sugrue
Convenor
Donegal Clinical Research Academy
Letterkenny Hospital

www.dcra.ie

6th Emergency
Abdominal Surgery
Course

Friday April 10th 2015

Dublin

Ireland

Venue

Royal College of Surgeons Ireland

Albert Lecture Room

International Faculty

I Anderson UK
F Catena Parma Italy
D Jenkins Rochester USA
I Martinez Barcelona Spain
C Mesquita Coimbra Portugal
S Uranus Gratz Austria

Recently the Emergency Abdominal Surgery Course (EASC) was awarded two significant peer judged regional and national awards for medical education.
The course developed in Letterkenny Hospital under the Donegal Clinical Research Academy mentorship, recently was the recipient for the National Irish Health Care Awards held in the Shelbourne Hotel in Dublin on November 6th and the Saolta University Health Care Group CEO Awards in Galway on November 7th.

Mr Michael Sugrue, Surgeon , was delighted to accept the Irish Medical Health Care Award, with Dr Siobhan McGrane, Radiologist in Letterkenny. He indicated they were all delighted with the phenomenal success nationally and internationally of the course. Mr Sugrue said its success lay in the educational model used, and the fact that the course crossed all disciplines that deal with Emergency Care from Surgeons to Radiologist and Nurses..
Mr Sugrue said he would now like to expand on the development of quality indicators in Emergency Surgery and the course combined with other areas of research will ensure that patients do better. DCRA would be well positioned to do this.

The next course in Ireland will be on April 10th 2015 and will host 6 world leaders as well as Irish experts in Emergency Abdominal Care.
Mr Sugrue stated the program complimented the Irish Acute Surgery Program led by Professor Frank Keane and Mr Ken Mealy. He was grateful for support from RCSI and Letterkenny Hospital to allow the course to develop.