Promising trainee vascular surgeons and radiologists were awarded fellowships to support the development of endovascular surgery at a unique event held last week (1-2 July) in the UK.
The event, called Endovascular Fusion, brought together members of the British Society of Endovascular Therapy (BSET), the British Society of Interventional Radiology (BSIR) and the Vascular Society of Great Britain and Ireland, in the first meeting of its kind to discuss the latest advances in endovascular therapy.
The joint ambition of the three societies was to raise the profile of endovascular techniques, facilitate access to key information among physicians and, ultimately, to benefit patients suffering from arterial and venous disease by improving the availability of endovascular treatments.
Six six-month Cook Medical-sponsored fellowships in aid of the advancement of endovascular surgery were announced at this meeting.
The successful applicants and their training centres were: Matthew Metcalfe at St George’s, London; Andrew Thompson at St Mary’s, London; Tahir Ali at St Thomas’, London; Andrew Tambyraja at Leicester Royal Infirmary; Omer Ehsan at University Hospital of Wales, Cardiff; and Jonathan Ghosh at the Royal Lancaster Infirmary.
The fellows-in-waiting will work alongside well-reputed vascular surgeons at specialised centres of excellence, to develop their skills in a broad range of minimally invasive techniques, including percutaneous transluminal angioplasty and endovascular aortic aneurysm repair (EVAR).
The event programme addressed a range of topics, including: carotid intervention, EVAR, the cost of endovascular grafts, the challenges to treatment of thoracic aortic aneurysms, the provision of training in endovascular procedures, and treatment of deep vein thrombosis (DVT).
Internationally recognised experts, including Professor Jean-Pierre Becquemin, Professor Frank Veith and Mr Peter Taylor, provided presentations, clinical trial updates and guest lectures. A sequence of videos illustrating the latest endovascular techniques was also shown.
Secretary of BSET and Professor of Vascular Surgery at St George’s Hospital, Matt Thompson, said: ‘‘Endovascular Fusion is the first time BSET has had the opportunity to collaborate with BSIR and the Vascular Society at a single event.
‘‘BSET is committed to furthering the development of minimally invasive surgery and equipping the vascular surgeons of the future with the skills and resources required to become experts in their field. The fellowships are awarded to the most promising trainees, allowing them to expand their knowledge and gain experience at the forefront of technology in endovascular surgery.’’
