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We are pleased to report on the first cadaveric course in Prague, organized by our Division of Orthopaedics – Arthroscopy, which took place on 3 April 2024 at the Institute of Anatomy, 2nd Faculty of Medicine, Charles University. The course was held with the support of the SNACE program, a collaboration between Smith+Nephew and Soggiorno s.r.o.

We have become a proud partner of the Artoscopic Academy of the Czech Republic!

This event was a unique opportunity to delve deeper into this specialized field of medicine and apply practical skills on a real cadaver. The excellent trainers who shared their wealth of knowledge , headed by Prof. Petr Zeman, MD, PhD, MBA, are leaders in the field of arthroscopy in the Czech Republic and their expert guidance and experience allowed all 18 participants to deepen their understanding of arthroscopy techniques and improve their skills in this area.

The invitation was also accepted by the esteemed foreign guest Prof. Tomasz Piontek MD from the Polish Rehasport Clinic.

The participants actively participated in practical exercises on cadaveric material, where they had the opportunity to apply the learned procedures and get valuable feedback from our instructors. We believe that the acquired knowledge and skills will be beneficial in the professional practice of physicians and will continue to move arthroscopic surgery forward.

We look forward to future educational events and, through them, beneficial new collaborations.

The Orthopaedics – Arthroscopy Division team

 

On 21 March 2024, the traditional workshop on Ultrasonographic Elastography took place at the Golf Hotel in Prague.

The morning part of the program was devoted to theoretical lectures by MUDr. Kukulský, who is an application specialist at FUJIFILM. Furthermore, MUDr. Machková and MUDr. Ďuricová from ISCARE, MUDr. Taimr from IKEMU, MUDr. Šmíd from VFN and prim. MUDr. Dvořák from the Regional Hospital Liberec, who was also the expert guarantor of the whole event.

After the theoretical session and a short refreshment, the participants were treated to a practical afternoon workshop on our three FUJIFILM Arietta 850 ultrasound machines, during which they could try both types of elastography, ShearWave and RealTime elastography.

We are very pleased with the historically record turnout. We firmly believe that the knowledge and skills gained, both from the theoretical and practical part, will benefit and help the participants in their elastographic examination of patients.

Medical Technologies Division

On 5 March 2024, in cooperation with the 1st Surgical Clinic – Thoracic, Abdominal and Trauma Surgery of the University Hospital Prague, we organized a course entitled Ultrasonography in Contemporary Surgery 2024.

The types of intraoperative probes, the procedure of setting up the device, the principles of ultrasound examination and specific examination procedures for individual surgical areas were presented.
The course was structured to cover the full spectrum of possible applications of this imaging modality, both in preoperative, perioperative and peri-operative diagnostics.

The program also included a hands-on Hands-on where participants were able to experience FAST US abdominal examination and practice punctures.

We would like to thank Prof. MUDr. Z. Krška, DrSc., to the chief doc. MUDr. D. Hoskovec, PhD., Mr. Ing. J. Herčík and all the lecturers for their help in the organization.

Division of Medical Technologies

The annual Colours of Sepsis congress was held on 22-26 January for doctors and nurses involved in critical care. Due to the exhausted capacity, the turnout at the popular congress was really high – over 1,500 physician and nurse participants attended this year’s event.

The congress boasted a number of workshops this year, most notably the ultrasound workshop for nurses, Critical Care Simulation, where a pre-selected team could try out various simulations of a suddenly occurring critical situation “mock” without endangering the real patient. Furthermore, also Venous Cannulation in Intensive Care designed for beginners or the workshop Hypo/hypernatremia of the patient and its overview of basic concepts and the relationship between sodium and water in the body. Some of the most interesting lectures were definitely controversies and mistakes in intensive care, various tutorials for example critically ill patients needing inotropic support, the varied layers of surgery, fluid de-resuscitation, emergency medicine and of course the much sought after lecture on transplant medicine.

Promedica was represented at the congress by the divisions of Interventional Urology and Venous Therapy, Intensive Care Medicine, Wound Care and Consumable Medical Devices.

The UVT division enriched the congress with stitchless fixations from Bedal, according to participants. These diverse fixations can be placed on virtually any invasive device widely used in the intensive care unit. There was really high interest in this topic. My colleagues also presented a new portfolio of fixations designed specifically for paediatric intensive care. The lecture on the future of sutureless fixation by MUDr. Nosková was certainly a great advantage, thanks to which this topic is becoming more deeply aware. The interest of the attendees in Bedal was really high and also, of course, in long-term inputs, which are also a very popular topic at the moment with Plan1Health and Angiodynamics.

For the intensive care division, this congress is the biggest and most important one. Representatives of the division presented especially the SINAPI chest suction, which was in demand not only by nurses but also by physicians across specialties (ARO, Surgery, Urgent and others). Other products presented included: chest trocars, closed suction system and oral care products.

On behalf of the wound care division, colleagues presented a wide portfolio of Smith+Nephew products. Of greatest interest were the area coverage and coverage for IV entries. Positive feedback from clients included the final comprehensive wound care range. This year the division again reached many new potential clients with products from the Allevyn range, Opsite, PICO 7 vacuum therapy.

Thanks to the already mentioned high attendance, the excellent location of our Promedica stand and above all the professional approach of our representatives, our stand was visited by a really large number of participants this year. Among them were a large number of our regular clients who accompanied new clients to our stand and that is why, despite the years of participation, we take away a lot of new and potential contacts from the congress, for which we are very happy and we are already looking forward to another such a high quality edition.

Divisions of Interventional Urology and Venous Therapy, Intensive Care Medicine, Wound Care and Consumable Medical Devices

We are very pleased to announce that we have scored significant successes at the Smith+Nephew Distributor Meeting held in Cairo on 27-28 January. The event was a great opportunity to meet key players from across the CEE region and discuss the latest trends in orthopaedics, sports medicine and wound healing.

At the gala we were awarded with the prize for the best sales in Advanced Wound Care, which is extremely pleasing for us and strengthens our motivation to develop further in the healthcare sector. In addition, we were able to enjoy the individual recognition of Petra Ghanem, who received an award for exceptional care of our customers.

The event was full of interesting discussions, inspiring presentations and great opportunities to establish new business relationships. Thank you to Smith+Nephew for organising this great event and to all our partners for their support and cooperation.

Stay tuned for our next steps as we continue to push the boundaries in providing cutting edge healthcare solutions!

 

Kind regards,

Promedica Team, Orthopaedics Division

The XXII National Congress with International Participation – Interdisciplinary Cooperation in the Treatment of Wounds and Skin Defects was held from 18 January to 19 January 2024.

The congress was held at the University of Pardubice, under the auspices of the Czech Society for Wound Care, in cooperation with the Faculty of Medical Studies of the University of Pardubice and Pardubice Hospital, Hospital of Pardubice Region a.s. The Congress was held under the auspices of the Rector of the University of Pardubice and the Governor of the Pardubice Region.

The congress was intended for medical practitioners, surgeons, dermatologists, geriatricians, diabetologists, internists and doctors of other disciplines involved in wound care. It was also for nurses from outpatient and inpatient facilities as well as home care.

A prominent figure at this year’s event was EWMA President Kirsi Isoherranen, who contributed a lecture in the field of atypical wound management.

The conference was very successful in terms of our business objectives. It was attended by more than 1,000 participants who were experts in wound treatment and healing. We had the opportunity to make many new contacts and create new business opportunities. At the same time, we maintained the relationships we had already established, which enabled us to strengthen our position in the market.

This year, a little unconventionally, the concept of booth presentation was chosen. Congress participants could meet us at the booth, which was designed in a café style. Settling into the seats, offering good snacks and good drinks created an unforgettable environment for business meetings. Presentations of Smith and Nephew wound care and vacuum therapy materials were made during the enjoyable gourmet experience and conversations. This presentation concept received very positive feedback from the congress participants.

We look forward to further opportunities to present our products and services at similar events and believe that our participation in these congresses will contribute to the continued growth and success of our division.

Wound Care Division

We would like to share the information that we have again managed to support a good cause and with the contribution of Kapka naděje, the Arietta 65 ultrasound machine has been installed in the children’s ward of Strakonice Hospital. The device has several probes that allow to examine both newborns and almost adult patients of the children’s ward. It also includes a special cardiology probe, which contributes to the early diagnosis of congenital heart defects and here to the rapid initiation of treatment.

The new ultrasound will be used by doctors in the paediatric outpatient department on the ground floor of the N.O.R.D. pavilion. Our older ultrasound machine, which the department also has thanks to a contribution from Drops of Hope, will be moved from the outpatient department to the inpatient department. Patients, and in this case especially their parents, expect to receive quality and prompt help in the hospital. The ultrasound in the ward and in the outpatient clinic will certainly help this, as it will speed up diagnosis and the start of treatment.

Division of Medical Technology

On December 8th 2023, another edition of the Hradec Cardiac Surgery Day took place in the teaching centre of the Faculty of Medicine on the premises of the Hradec Králové University Hospital. It commemorated 70 years since the first operation using extracorporeal circulation performed in the United States. The conference was attended by experts not only from the HK Hospital, but also from other hospitals and medical institutions.

The conference was organized by the Cardiac Surgery Clinic of FN HK under the auspices of the Director of the FNHK, MUDr. Ales Herman, Ph.D and the Dean of the Faculty of Medicine of the Charles University in HK, Prof. MUDr. Jiri Mandak. The expert guarantor of the event was prof. MUDr. Jan Vojáček, Ph.D. During the opening of the conference, thanks were also given to Miroslav Brtek, M.D., Ph.D., who has been working at the Cardiac Surgery Clinic of the Faculty of Medicine of HK for 35 years.

A total of 12 lectures were given at the conference, for example, Martin Volt, Head of the Department of Extracorporeal Circulation and Support Systems at the Cardiac Surgery Clinic of the FN HK, recalled the development of the use of extracorporeal circulation at the FN HK up to the newly opened new simulation centre. The lectures were also attended by FNHK’s OR nurses.

The Operations Division, represented by Marketa Zemanova, presented at the stand mainly the new range of the division – ASANUS operating instruments. The event helped us to make this new range more visible.

Operational Programme Division

Dear business partners,

On behalf of the entire Promedica team, I would like to wish you a relaxing and joyful Christmas and a successful start to 2024.

I thank you for your trust and look forward to further cooperation in the coming years.

Pavel Hanuš
CEO

Doctors at SurGal Clinic, a private hospital in Brno, will be the first in the Czech Republic to use the Versius robotic surgical system from the British company Cambridge Medical Robotics (CMR). Versius is a new-generation medical technology used for robotically navigated minimally invasive operations in abdominal and thoracic surgery, urology, as well as colon surgery and gynaecology.

“I am pleased that SurGal Clinic is the first hospital in the Czech Republic to introduce the innovative Versius surgical system into clinical practice. With regard to the composition of care provided at our facility, we will use the surgical robot mainly in the field of colorectal and thoracic surgery, including onco-surgery. We are also prepared to use the system for other surgical procedures where we feel there will be a benefit to the patient – such as large abdominal defects, diastasis and hernias. We are officially launching the system into clinical use on January 1, 2024, at no cost to the patient.” says Jitka Smrčka, director of SurGal Clinic.

“Over the last month and a half, three surgical teams have undergone intensive training. Each group of surgeons and OR nurses has undergone a comprehensive training process at CMR’s training centre and at SurGal Clinic’s own premises. The first fifteen robotic procedures were performed at our facility under the guidance of foreign proctors with great success. The system goes beyond the capabilities of the human hand and will allow us to perform existing procedures more precisely while minimizing blood loss. We were very pleasantly surprised by the functionality and modularity of the system.” adds Petr Diviš, Medical Director and Head of the SurGal Clinic Robotic Surgery Centre.

The use of robotic surgical systems has many advantages for both doctors and patients. They help surgeons during procedures with better visualization, higher precision and filtering of hand tremors. Another indisputable advantage is the greater flexibility of robotic surgical tools, which allows doctors to work more easily and precisely in confined spaces such as a small pelvis or chest cavity. For patients, the major benefits of minimally invasive surgery include smaller post-operative wounds, less blood loss, shorter hospital stays, faster recovery and reduced risk of infection.

“As the data shows, robotics is clearly a global trend in surgery, especially in developed Western countries. The Versius system is currently the second most clinically used system and more than 16,000 surgeries have been performed on it in 20 countries. I am glad that we could introduce it to the domestic market in 2023 and bring the Czech population closer to medical care using the most advanced technologies of today. The introduction of the new technology also includes long-term support from the supplier PROMEDICA PRAHA GROUP directly for SurGal Clinic to ensure a smooth and safe start of operations,” says Pavel Hanuš, CEO of PROMEDICA PRAHA GROUP.

The practical main advantage of the Versius system is its mobility and modularity. It fits into most common operating theatres and requires virtually no structural modifications. Its mobility also allows it to be shared between several different operating theatres. An additional advantage is provided by the system’s open elevation console with 3D display capability, which allows the trained operator to have the robotic arms under direct supervision and to communicate verbally and non-verbally with his colleagues in real time.

The concept of separate tooling and visualization arms provides freedom in port placement according to the operator’s requirements, including the ability to introduce a port from a lower angle. The need for complex system redocking when changing the operating field is eliminated. The end portions of the arms are equipped with advanced V-Wrist technology, which allows rotation of the operating instrument in the range of 720°, far exceeding the movement capabilities of the human hand. This makes it possible to operate even at extreme angles. All arms are equipped with pressure sensors to ensure maximum patient safety.

“The SurGal Clinic’s goal is to introduce new methods and continuously modernise its approaches. The acquisition of an innovative surgical robotic system is further clear evidence that the stated goals are being met.” Jitka Smrčka, Director of SurGal Clinic, concludes.

At Promedica, we are extremely proud of the innovative solutions that we are constantly bringing to the Czech healthcare system.

Watch the report below (CZ).