Description
Purpose:This event aimed to provide hands-on training and sharing of lessons learned among military and civilian surgeons engaged with the care of war casualties with upper and lower limb loss. Initial targets for training included providers within NATO and European countries, including Italy, Ukraine, Poland, Germany, and the United Kingdom.
Scope:
The instruction, delivered via lectures and hands-on workshop provided detailed training on the construction of muscle and skin grafts, selection of amputation level selection after trauma, osseointegration (OI) at the transhumeral and transfemoral level, agonist antagonist myoneural interface (AMI), and targeted muscle reinnervation (TMR), as well as rehabilitation and prosthetic considerations post-surgery.
Event summary:
As a part of the ongoing collaboration between the Italian Ministry of Defense (MDD) and the U.S. Department of Defense (DoD), referred to as Bionics for Veterans (BIOVET), the Center for Rehabilitation Sciences Research (CRSR), in collaboration with Italy’s Defense Veterans Center and Italy’s Defense Institute for Biomedical Sciences, hosted a three-day Advanced Surgical Training focused on Limb Restoration Techniques and Advancing the Care for War Casualties with Amputation. This event was held 13-15 November 2024 at the campuses of Agostino Gemelli University Polyclinic and the Catholic University del Sacro Cuore (Unicatt). The first day was lecture-based and primarily focused on providing an introduction to amputee care, while discussing level-specific considerations for amputation and rehabilitation and prosthetic considerations. Days 2 and 3 were conducted in the anatomy lab at Unicatt, where Drs. Jason Souza, Kyle Potter, Ean Saberski, and Jonathan Forsberg led practical demonstrations.
Unique Event Markers:
The conference was hosted at Agostino Gemelli University Hospital, the largest hospital and Research Center in Rome, Italy, and one of the largest in Europe. Located a few miles outside of Vatican City, Gemelli Hospital staff have treated multiple Popes and other notable figures.
15 European attendees were present at the conference, 10 of whom actively serve in their nation’s military service. There were 4 Italian, 4 Ukranian, 3 German, 2 Polish, 1 English, and 1 South African surgeons.
Use of cadavers for study, training, and scientific research purposes was legalized in Italy just four years ago, and in many European countries it still remains unauthorized. This event provided a unique opportunity for not only attendees of this surgical training, but for the Agostino Gemelli University Hospital staff, their students, and the capabilities of their anatomy lab.
Surgical trainers who were invited to present and lead demonstrations at the conference are all current or former USUHS faculty: Dr. Ean Saberski, Dr. Jason Souza, Dr. Kyle Potter, and Dr. Jonathan Forsberg.