Hand Surgery in Different Countries: Hand Surgery in New Zealand

Hand surgery in New Zealand has steadily grown from its origins in plastic surgery and orthopaedic surgery into its own discipline. There has been much progress and innovation in hand surgery that has originated from New Zealand and this review acknowledges the historical figures and events that have led to our present position. The current and future directions of hand surgery in our country are also discussed. As a small and remote country, we are very fortunate to have close relationships with other international hand societies. Through these relationships and the efforts of committed regional hand surgeons, the art and science of hand surgery in New Zealand continues to progress.     

Updates in robotic colorectal surgery

Since the introduction of master-slave manipulators (otherwise known as telemanipulators) in 1990, minimally invasive surgery paved way for the development of the first robotic surgical systems to overcome the limitations of laparoscopic surgery. Over the last decade, the robotic system has rapidly gained acceptance and popularity among surgeons, especially colorectal surgeons around the world. Advantages of robotic surgical systems includes superior instrumentation and stable field of vision which enable precise dissection in confined spaces such as the pelvis. The feasibility and safety of robotic rectal surgery is now well established and there is increasing evidence that it might offer superior perioperative and postoperative outcomes when compared to laparoscopic rectal surgery. Robotic rectal surgery is easier to learn than laparoscopic surgery and the creation of a structured training program for robotic rectal surgery in Europe and USA has facilitated the learning of this technique in an environment that promotes patient safety and improved patient outcomes through equipment fidelity and operator skills. It is foreseeable that in the near future robotic systems will become part of routine surgical practice in colorectal surgery.     

Updates in robotic colorectal surgery

Since the introduction of master-slave manipulators (otherwise known as telemanipulators) in 1990, minimally invasive surgery paved the way for the development of the first robotic surgical systems to overcome the limitations of laparoscopic surgery. The robotic system over the last decade has rapidly gained acceptance and popularity among surgeons, especially colorectal surgeons around the world. Advantages of robotic surgical systems includes superior instrumentation and stable field of vision which enable precise dissection in confined spaces such as the pelvis. The feasibility and safety of robotic rectal surgery is now well established and there is increasing evidence that it might offer superior perioperative and postoperative outcomes when compared to laparoscopic rectal surgery. Robotic rectal surgery is easier to learn than laparoscopic surgery and the creation of a structured training program for robotic rectal surgery in Europe and USA has facilitated the learning of this technique in an environment that promotes patient safety and improved patient outcomes through equipment fidelity and operator skills. It is foreseeable that in the near future robotic systems will become part of routine surgical practice in colorectal surgery.     

我国肝胆胰外科发展与国际接轨的挑战和机遇

This article traced how western medicine and surgery were introduced into China, described where Chinese surgery stands currently at the international scene, and proposed future strategies as to how Chinese surgery can go internationally. Surgery, a major component of western medicine,was first introduced into China in the late 19th and early 20th centuries through the missionaries and the merchants of the East Indian Company. Surgical centers were soon established in the big cities along the coastal region, then spread inland along the Yellow River, the Yangtze River and the Pearl River. The establishment of general surgery centers soon led to the development of the subspecialty in hepatopancreatobiliary surgery because of high prevalence of hepatitis B related hepatocellular carcinoma, intrahepatic stones, portal hypertension caused by schistosomiasis and pancreatic disease. For historical reasons,Chinese surgery was cut off from the outside world in the 1960s.This led to the development of Chinese surgery along a different path from that taken internationally. With the opening up of China in the 1980s, and the recent economic developments,Chinese surgery needs to merge with surgery in the rest of the world. Suggested proposal for future strategies for Chinese surgery to go internationally include undergraduate medical reform, introduction of structured surgical training and examination for the whole country, life long continuing medical education for all surgeons, academic exchanges with internationally renowned centers, publication in international peer-review journals, active involvement in international surgical societies and conferences.     

微创外科时代的胆道外科——胆囊切除术尚非平安无事

自从首例在腹腔镜下施行胆囊切除术之后,胆道外科技术经历了革命性的改变。当前,已经有越来越多的传统外科手术方法被腹腔镜外科所取代。然而,腹腔镜胆囊切除术并非平安无事。当前,由于影像学技术的发展,例如对肝内、外胆道的虚拟现实、三维重建等,可以有助于对复杂胆道外科问题如肝内胆管结石和其他肝内病变的手术前评估和手术设计。约占原发性肝癌5%～10%的肝内胆管癌由于其与肝细胞癌有不同的病理-生物学特点,故在治疗措施选择上应得到特殊的关注,一般应该施行广泛的肝切除手术而不是局部切除或消融。关于肝门部胆管癌的治疗,扩大的肝切除术可以改进早期的、无淋巴结转移病变治疗结果。当前,在微创外科时代,许多传统的外科手术将在微创外科理念下重新受到检验。     

Pioneering women in American pediatric surgery

Women were among the pioneers in American pediatric surgery in its early decades. Once in practice, Benjy Brooks (Houston) and Jessie Ternberg (St. Louis) became identified with the specialty in their adopted communities, and Rowena Spencer in her hometown of New Orleans. Louise Schnaufer in Philadelphia, Kathryn Anderson in Washington, D.C., and Patricia Donahoe in Boston were all prominent surgeons at leading children's specialty hospitals in the country. Schnaufer was the unsung stalwart in general and thoracic surgery at the Children's Hospital of Philadelphia. Anderson became Surgeon-in-Chief in Los Angeles, and later the first woman leader of both professional societies in pediatric surgery as well as first woman President of the American College of Surgeons. Donahoe developed a spectacular academic career and became one of the outstanding surgical scientists in the country.Each faced gender discrimination at several stages of their careers: medical school enrollments that limited spots for women; widespread bias against women training in surgery and pediatric surgery; and the absence of woman role models and mentors. It is instructive and inspiring to review their individual stories that play an important part of the history of the specialty.     

Laparoscopic Aortic Surgery: Recent Development in Instrumentation

Beside conventional and endovascular techniques, laparoscopic surgery is becoming a third way to treat patients presenting with aortoiliac occlusive or aneurysmal diseases. Several different laparoscopic techniques have been described, but most authors are stressing on the need for development of a specific laparoscopic aortic instrumentation, in order to decrease the operative and clamping times and to reduce the learning curve. This article is presenting an overview of what is already available, as laparoscopic aortic clamps or laparoscopic intestinal retractor, and what is still experimental, like laparoscopic aortic staplers, anastomotic devices or robotic surgical systems. This important technologic challenge should lead to two major orientations: development of qualitative in vitro and in vivo experiments to test these new products and training courses to teach the manipulation of it. Minimally aggressive techniques are well adapted to a western population, which becomes older, and has access to constantly improving medical care; however, only a specific and ergonomic instrumentation will allow these new techniques to be widely embraced by the vascular surgical community.     

Day-only laparoscopic cholecystectomy in a regional teaching hospital

Background: Day‐only laparoscopic cholecystectomy (DOLC) has been demonstrated to be a safe and feasible procedure. The aim of the present study was to introduce DOLC to a busy teaching hospital without a separate day‐surgery facility, to identify any problems associated with early discharge, and to determine patient satisfaction. Methods: Over a 2‐year period, all patients undergoing elective laparoscopic cholecystectomy under one surgeon were prospectively studied. Patients satisfying criteria for DOLC were offered the procedure. All patients were sent anonymous satisfaction surveys postoperatively. Results: One hundred and one patients underwent elective laparoscopic cholecystectomies and 41 of these patients were booked for DOLC. Thirty‐three (80%) were successfully discharged the same day and there were no complications related to early discharge. Only two of eight unplanned admissions were because of postoperative pain or nausea. Thirty‐two (78%) of DOLC patients replied to our survey and of those, 24 (78%) were satisfied with their length of stay. The extra strain placed on day‐stay ward resources was reflected in patient survey comments on their care. Conclusions: Our findings support the evidence that DOLC is safe and feasible. However, in a busy teaching hospital with tight budget constraints and no separate day‐surgery facility we found many patients satisfied with their length of stay but not always with the quality of care they received on the day‐stay ward. The latter was insufficiently equipped to handle procedures of this complexity. So although in theory DOLC has many advantages, we are unable to institute this as routine practice at this time.     

以质量为本发展我国的胃肠微创外科

胃肠微创外科在过去的20年中得到了飞速的发展,并取得了令人鼓舞的成绩。展望未来．欲进一步提高胃肠徽创外科的水平与质量,需要我们在对其具备充分共识的基础上建立合理的规范与准则．进而得到规范化的推广：还须有高质量的循证医学证据作为支撑基础;此外,科学的人才培养和技术培训体系以及足够的创新能力．亦是不可缺少的条件。而质量则是上述要素的根本保障．只有夯实质量这一基础,才能使我国胃肠徽创外科走向更美好的未来。     

在澳大利亚利用腹腔镜进行附件手术的现状和变化趋势

自从引入腹腔镜手术,普遍认为应用腹腔镜进行附件手术会取代开腹手术。然而事实证明,虽然腹腔镜手术开展了20多年,开腹附件手术仍未被淘汰。这份来自澳大利亚各州及地区关于附件手术病人的资料显示了在澳大利亚应用腹腔镜进行附件手术的变化趋势。同时还有一份来自悉尼利物浦医院病人的资料同样也说明了在附件手术中决定选择何种手术方式的影响因素。我们的研究认为,在所有附件手术中,应用腹腔镜进行手术已经增加到90%,然而大概还有10%的病人需要开腹手术。全国范围内附件手术在手术方式选择上的变化趋势受政府医疗保险政策变化的影响。利物浦医院的当地资料显示,不同个体在手术方式选择上的变化趋势与澳大利亚全国范围内附件手术方式变化趋势不同,是由于管理人员和资金的改变引起的。从病人利益角度考虑,一项对妇科医师问卷调查显示,下述因素是导致医师选择开腹手术的重要原因：术前怀疑肿瘤是恶性的;医生缺少腹腔镜技术的培训;急诊状况下。术前应用敏感性高和特异性好的肿瘤标志物改善附件恶性肿瘤术前诊断的准确性有利于更多病人进入腔镜组而不是开腹组,同时医师经过良好的训练和提高手术技术也可以在不久的将来促进腹腔镜手术的发展。     

Minor operations performed under local anaesthetic in a day surgery unit

Minor ‘lumps and bumps' requiring operation under local anaesthetic constitute a significant number of referrals each month to general surgical clinics. These patients have often remained on hospital waiting lists for more than 1 year. A new system for managing these cases is presented whereby: (i) a large throughput of ‘clinical material' is available for supervised teaching of both medical students and junior trainees; (ii) patients are operated upon safely and efficiently; (iii) the waiting list time can be significantly reduced; and (iv) the patient has an overall satisfactory hospital ‘experience'.     

Guidelines and checklists for short‐term missions in global pediatric surgery

Pediatric surgeons, anesthesia providers, and nurses from North America and other high‐income countries are increasingly engaged in resource‐limited areas, with short‐term missions as the most common form of involvement. However, consensus recommendations currently do not exist for short‐term missions in pediatric general surgery and associated perioperative care. The American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) Delivery of Surgical Care Subcommittee and American Pediatric Surgical Association (APSA) Global Pediatric Surgery Committee, with the American Pediatric Surgical Nurses Association, Inc. (APSNA) Global Health Special Interest Group, and the Society for Pediatric Anesthesia (SPA) Committee on International Education and Service generated consensus recommendations for short‐term missions based on extensive experience with short‐term missions. Three distinct, but related areas were identified: (i) Broad goals of surgical partnerships between high‐income countries and low‐ and middle‐income countries. A previous set of guidelines published by the Global Paediatric Surgery Network Collaborative (GPSN) was endorsed by all groups; (ii) Guidelines for the conduct of short‐term missions were developed, including planning, in‐country perioperative patient care, post‐trip follow‐up, and sustainability; and (iii) travel and safety considerations critical to short‐term mission success were enumerated. A diverse group of stakeholders developed these guidelines for short‐term missions in low‐ and middle‐income countries. These guidelines may be a useful tool to ensure safe, responsible, and ethical short‐term missions given increasing engagement of high‐income country providers in this work.     

快速康复外科在胃肠手术中的新理念及展望

快速康复外科是一种广泛应用于外科手术中的理念,贯穿患者手术前后的整个治疗过程,通过采取一系列积极措施,极大地改善了患者术后康复速度及预后,提高了治疗效果及患者生活质量.本文综述了快速康复外科在胃肠外科围手术期的新理念及应用展望.