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On 24-25 May 2024, Smith+Nephew hosted a major International Shoulder Arthroscopy Expert Summit in Dubai on the theme “The Power Of Biological Healing”.

This prestigious event attracted leading experts from around the world who gathered to discuss the latest trends, innovations and challenges in arthroscopy and biological assisted healing. New techniques for minimally invasive orthopaedics that reduce recovery time and improve patient outcomes were presented.

Specialists shared their experiences with new methods of rotator cuff reconstruction, including the use of biological materials, i.e. the innovative product, the Regeneten bioinductive implant.

The results of recent clinical studies focused on long-term results using biological support for healing were presented. Hands-on workshops and live demonstrations were organised to enable participants to learn new techniques and procedures.

Our doctors had the opportunity to participate in cadaveric surgeries with the assistance of the best international experts.

The summit fostered global collaboration between experts across the world, aiming to improve knowledge and experience sharing. We are happy to have been able to attend this event, which brought a lot of inspiration, innovation, and thus ensuring the best possible outcomes for patients.

The summit not only highlighted the importance of continued research and innovation in the field, but also brought new insights and technologies and fostered global collaboration, which is key to the further development of arthroscopy.

The Orthopaedics team

 

On 21-22 May, a traditional and jubilee conference focused mainly on clinical biochemistry took place. It was the 40th edition of one of the oldest seminars, which is dedicated not only to clinical biochemistry and has recently become more broadly oriented, with a focus on other laboratory disciplines. We can name microbiology, immunology, molecular biology and genetics. Very interesting lectures were also given on pharmacotherapy, rare diseases and their relation to laboratory diagnostics, but also on the economic aspects of digitalization and automation of the pre-analytical phase of IVD. There were also several case studies that perfectly linked the activities of human laboratories and clinical departments themselves.

The two-day meeting took place in the excellent premises of the historic castle, in a large lecture hall and an associated presentation area for the participating companies. All right in the grounds of the Blatná Castle. The event was attended by approximately 120 participants, laboratory professionals from three regions (South Bohemia, Hradec Kralove and Pardubice). The seminar was traditionally held under the supervision of Professor of Clinical Biochemistry Vladimír Palička, MD. The symposium was held under the auspices of the Director of Strakonice Hospital and Senator Tomáš Fiala, MD. The organization of the seminar was perfectly managed by the head of the Central Laboratories of the Strakonice Hospital, PharmDr. Eva Šimečková, with the help of her team from the laboratories and the team of the Hildprandt family, who own the Blatná Chateau. Our division was present among 21 other exhibitors. It seems that almost none of the current major suppliers of laboratory diagnostics were missing.

We are pleased to have attended the event.

Diagnostics Division

On 8-9 April, under the leadership of Prof. Pavel Kominek, PhD., MBA, a workshop on “International Workshop on Sinonasal Surgery” took place in the auditorium of the University of Ostrava under the auspices of the Department of Otorhinolaryngology and Head and Neck Surgery of the University Hospital Ostrava, the Faculty of Medicine of the University of Ostrava and the Czech Society of Otorhinolaryngology, Head and Neck Surgery.

Invitation to the workshop was accepted by foreign and Czech lecturers. The aim of the workshop was to show the different surgical procedures, used by different surgeons, for nose surgery, sinus surgery and tear duct surgery. One of the devices used in the surgeries was our COBLATOR II with a probe designed for sinus surgery. The surgery was performed by the head of the ENT clinic Doc. MUDr. Petr Matoušek Ph.D. MBA.

This year’s workshop was attended by 50 doctors. There were live broadcasts from the operating theatres, where there was a lot of discussion among the participants and the workshop provided everyone with a lot of new information.

Our cooperation is positively perceived and we look forward to the next edition.

ENT Division

World Hand Hygiene Day is marked every year on 5 May and is accompanied by the World Health Organization’s (WHO) “Save a life – wash your hands” campaign, which highlights the importance of handwashing as a crucial preventive measure against the transmission of many infectious diseases.

Throughout the month of May, various events are being held in hospitals across the country to commemorate this important day. Our Disinfection and Sterilization Division is part of these “Hand Hygiene” days.

The aim of these events is to draw attention to proper hand washing and disinfection techniques, both through active lectures and product presentations, both from our own and cooperating suppliers such as Ecolab, Schulke and Hartmann. Those who arrived could already check how effective their hand disinfection was at the stand using disinfectants and UV lamps. Hand hygiene is extremely important, especially for employees of healthcare facilities, but also for visiting patients. Dozens of people from the staff and visitors to hospitals in all regions where Promedica is the leader have already come to disinfect their hands.

Disinfection and Sterilization Division

 

During the first quarter of 2024, the RobOtol robotic operating system, developed by the French company Collin Medical, was successfully used at the Clinic of Otorhinolaryngology and Head and Neck Surgery of the Hradec Králové University Hospital. The clinical use of the system was supervised from the professional side by the head of the clinic, Prof. Viktor Chrobok, M.D., Ph.D., together with other doctors of the ENT clinic. Application and technical support was provided by Promedica – the official distributor of this technology in the Czech Republic.

The RobOtol system is primarily used for gentle and precise insertion of the electrode bundle of cochlear implants into the patient’s inner ear. The main advantage over manual insertion is the slow and smooth speed of electrode insertion and the elimination of any tremors, resulting in less traumatization of the surrounding structures. The robotic system can also be used during middle ear surgery, either for gentle navigation of the surgical instruments or endoscope.

 

The Head of the Department of Otorhinolaryngology and Head and Neck Surgery of the Faculty of Medicine, Prof. MUDr. Viktor Chrobok, CSc., Ph.D. introduces the electrode bundle of the cochlear implant using the active arm of the RobOtol system.

 

During the loan period, 6 cochlear implantations were successfully performed, one of which was bilateral. This loan followed a previous presentation of the system at the clinic in 2022, during which 18 cochlear implantations were performed (5 paediatric and 9 adult patients, 4 of which were bilateral). The 2024 implantations used a new active arm, allowing the electrode to be inserted at a slow speed of 0.1mm/s, ensuring greater gentleness of the procedure. Furthermore, RobOtol was used in two eardrum surgeries using the endoscopic arm. The advantage of this arm is that the system holds and controls the endoscope and the operating physician has both hands free to manipulate the surgical instruments compared to conventional surgery.

 

Jan Mejzlík, M.D., Ph.D. performs eardrum surgery using the endoscopic arm of the RobOtol system.

 

All indications are that the future should bring the development of other potential indications for the use of this technology. Integration with a navigation system is currently being finalized that will allow the robotic arm to interface with image data from imaging modalities such as CT or MR to provide precise spatial navigation of the robotic instrument. Other types of tools are also under development, such as forceps for the insertion of middle ear prostheses, as well as tools for targeted drug delivery into the middle ear tympanic cavity.

 

 

We believe that the introduction of this innovative technology into clinical practice will benefit patients in particular.

Medical technologies divison

Another event Diabetology Division was participating in was the 24th Beskydy Pharmacy Meeting organized by the Moravian-Silesian branch of the Czech Chamber of Pharmacy. The main theme of this year’s event was pharmacotherapy in diabetes.

Not only were we asked to participate in the form of a stand, but we agreed with the organizer (as the only one) to implement three workshops, where we introduced more than 60 participants to the correct measurement of glucose with a glucose meter, optimal self-monitoring of glucose, the quality of our glucose meters and the support activities that our company, through the division of diabetes, implements for patients and the professional public during the year.

In the rich afternoon programme, both heads of the Ostrava diabetes centres also spoke. MUDr. Jitka Homolová from the Ostrava Fifejdy Municipal Hospital focused on the current trend of treatment using the first oral semaglutide (GLP1), its cardioprotective effects and other positive properties of this molecule in the treatment of not only diabetes.

MUDr. Radka Nágelová, from the University Hospital Ostrava, focused her lecture on the technologies used in the treatment of diabetes, including remote communication in providing patient data from the glucose meter, continuous glucose monitoring, smart insulin dispensers and insulin pumps, and especially their evaluation.

Our performance was very positively evaluated by the workshop organizers and participants. The possibility of participating in upcoming events of some pharmacies was suggested as part of the preventive actions that are increasingly being implemented in pharmacies across the country.

Division of Diabetology

The traditional and the largest diabetes congress in the Czech and Slovak Republic took place at the end of April in Luhačovice’s Elektra Cultural Centre, the Social House and Hotel Alexandria.

This year has seen several records. The number of participants in the congress, which lasted from Wednesday 24 April to Saturday 27 April, exceeded 1,600, including 400 nurses and non-medical health professionals and 750 doctors. The rest were completed by representatives of companies and organizers.

For the third time, Prof. George Grunberger from the USA was the guest of honour from abroad, who helped, among other things, to push for FDA approval for implantable sensors for continuous glucose monitoring, which we are also seeking to include in our product portfolio.

Our stand, which was very well strategically located at the 60th anniversary edition, was well attended by the participants and new activities and expanded cooperation with current and new clients were agreed.

Division of Diabetology

The prevalence of diabetes, especially type 2, is increasing. Only an educated and motivated patient can change his/her attitude towards his/her health so that his/her normal lifestyle does not create the conditions for the development of complications that may occur after some time. All this is due to a misunderstanding of the principle of the disease, the risk and other factors. Doing nothing is not the solution in diabetes. The basis of everything, is to know and manage self-monitoring of glycemia. This is the measurement of capillary blood sugar using strips and a glucometer, which is absolutely available today. A simple, effective, minimally invasive and yet underestimated method by many doctors, which should be adopted by everyone at the beginning of the diagnosis of diabetes mellitus, and even better at the first suspicion of the manifestation of the disease, during the so-called PREDIABETES period.

The Division of Diabetes collaborates and supports activities to achieve the goal of equipping everyone who needs it with knowledge about self-monitoring, the availability of strips and glucometers. So that patients with diabetes perform self-monitoring correctly, know how to use the innovative functionalities of the glucometer, share data with their physician and participate in their own treatment.

One of the projects in which the Division of Diabetology regularly participates is the project mentioned at the beginning, which took place in Luhačovice in mid-April this year. For a better idea, we offer to watch a short video report below.

Division of Diabetology

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