The 13th Annual Scientific Meeting of AUGIS,
September 3-4, 2009


The 13th Annual Scientific Meeting of AUGIS, Nottingham 2009The 13th Annual Scientific Meeting of AUGIS, held in Nottingham, was a great success. The East Midlands Conference Centre proved to be an excellent venue and delegates from around the world gathered to share their knowledge, learn about advances in treatment and take advantage of networking opportunities.

The meeting was preceded by a well-attended teaching day for trainees and young consultants and this also went extremely well.

The Scientific Programme gave delegates the chance to hear an array of fascinating talks on a host of topics, many delivered by speakers with international reputations.

The second day’s parallel, specialist sessions on OG/BOMSS and HPB, proved very useful for delegates keen to increase their knowledge of specialist areas. These sessions also saw the launch of new OG/Bariatric and HPB databases.

Nurse affiliates were also much in evidence at the Meeting and the vital role they play in multi-disciplinary teams was highlighted by several speakers and during their own parallel session on the first afternoon.

The Meeting was well supported by partners in Industry with a lively trade exhibition taking place next to the Conference Hall.

The Annual Dinner was held in Nottingham Castle following a drinks reception on the Terrace. This proved to be a wonderful evening with delicious food and excellent company in an elegant setting.

Training Day:

An Upper GI training day for 36 delegates preceded the annual meeting.

Click here for a report on the training day.

 

Day 1 - Plenary Session:
What are the boundaries between ‘general surgery’ and ‘specialist upper GI surgery?

Chaired by Mr Merv Rees and Prof Derek Alderson

 

Prof James Garden | The management of gall stones

Click here to read a summary of the talk

Mr Mike Rhodes | Anti-reflux surgery

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Ms Sally Norton | Laparascopic gastric bands

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Mr Simon Paterson-Brown | The advantages of emergency GI surgical sub-specialisation

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Mr John Black, President, Royal College of Surgeons, England | The view from the top

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Day 1 - Session 2

BJS Invited Lecture
Professor Steven Strasberg, professor of HPB Surgery, Washington University St Louis | The advantages of emergency GI surgical sub-specialisation

Click here to read a summary of the talk

Professor Ronnie Poon, Professor of HPB Surgery, University of Hong Kong | Advances in the management of liver cancer

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Day 1 - Session 3 - Introduction of new techniques

Chaired by Mr Richard Hardwick and Mr Ian Beckingham

This was a lively series of debates and discussions concerning new procedures and approaches to treatments and trials.

 

Professor Bruce Campbell | Guidance from NICE

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Mr Paul Barham, Bristol Royal Infirmary | Minimally invasive oesophago-gastric surgery

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Mr Neil Pearce | Minimally invasive liver resection

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Day 1 - Session 4 - Invited lecture (co-sponsored by Bayer and Biocompatibles)

Dr Phil Schauer, Professor of Surgery, Cleveland Clinic Lerner College of Medicine | The status of bariatric surgery

Click here to read a summary of the talk

 

Day 2 - Thursday, September 3 - Parallel Affiliate Session

Dawn Elliot, Affiliate representative on the AUGIS Council, opened the lively session and chaired.

Claire Sedgewick, NS at Royal Victoria Infirmary, Newcastle, reported back on the Raising Public Awareness of Oesophageal and Gastric Cancer Week which included events in the North and highlighted the fact that early detection is often the key to saving lives.

Several posters were presented to the session covering topics as diverse as how endoscopy improves efficiency and outcomes, the challenges of diagnosis and a case report into a small bowel obstruction caused by a carcinoid tumour.

Tom Palser also gave an update on the National OG Cancer Audit and presented some early results.

Jane Tallet, who is based in Norwich, was introduced to the meeting as the successor to Dawn Elliot.

 

Day 3 - Friday, September 4,
Session 1 Parallel Session OG / BOMSS

Mr Nick Maynard | Gastric cancer - laparoscopic versus open gastrectomy

Click here to read a summary of the talk

Dr Phil Schauer, Professor of Surgery, Cleveland Clinic Lerner College of Medicine | Bariatric Surgery: Salvaging the failed gastric bypass - what next?

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Day 3 - Friday, September 4,
Session 1 Parallel Session HPB

Professor Max Malago | Surgery for hilar cholangiocarcinoma

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Launch of the HPB database

David Berry, consultant HPB surgeon, announced the launch of two new and important databases - the HPB Cancer Resection database and the International Ablation database. These two databases have been designed to be as user-friendly as possible for surgeons and will help fulfill professional requirements due to come into force in the next couple of years. Results from the audits will not be analysed for three years. 

Delegates were encouraged to access the databases through the AUGIS website. AUGIS Council member Graeme Poston said: "Providing this sort of information is going to be an essential component of assessment in the future and a legal requirement in England from 2012."

Dr Phil Schauer, Professor of Surgery, Cleveland Clinic Lerner College of Medicine | The operating room of the future

Click here to read a summary of the talk

Professor Hugh Barr | Rapid endoscopic identification and destruction of degenerating Barrett’s mucosal neoplasia

Click here to read a summary of the talk