British Association of Paediatric Surgeons International Affairs Committee: A report of international fellowships

Objective This paper describes the fellowship programme of the International Affairs Committee of the British Association of Paediatric Surgeons.Patients and methods The selection of low-income and middle-income country (LMIC) fellows from 2005 to 2016, their funding, experience, and current roles are described. Qualitative and quantitative analysis was performed. Results Thirty-eight trainees from 21 LMIC were awarded fellowships over the 11-year period. Thirty-two have completed the fellowship at time of writing, all are now in consultant positions. Obtaining a visa was the single most cited barrier to starting the fellowship. Twenty completed the questionnaire. Hundred percent felt the  fellowship had contributed to personal development and 71% had altered clinical practice subsequent to their experience. Thirty-three percent have gained research opportunities.Conclusion This evaluation supports LMIC-high-income country partnerships and highlights the benefits of fellowships to both the individual surgeon, their department and patient population.  Keywords: BAPS, fellowship, low- and middle-income country, partnershi

A Systematic Review of the Role of Robotics in Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery—From Inception to the Future

BackgroundThe use of robots in surgery has become commonplace in many specialties. In this systematic review, we report on the current uses of robotics in plastic and reconstructive surgery and looks to future roles for robotics in this arena.MethodsA systematic literature search of Medline, EMBASE, and Scopus was performed using appropriate search terms in order to identify all applications of robot-assistance in plastic and reconstructive surgery. All articles were reviewed by two authors and a qualitative synthesis performed of those articles that met the inclusion criteria. The systematic review and results were conducted and reported in accordance with the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta Analysis (PRISMA) guidelines.ResultsA total of 7,904 articles were identified for title and abstract review. Sixty-eight studies met the inclusion criteria. Robotic assistance in plastic and reconstructive surgery is still in its infancy, with areas such as trans-oral robotic surgery and microvascular procedures the dominant areas of interest currently. A number of benefits have been shown over conventional open surgery, such as improved access and greater dexterity; however, these must be balanced against disadvantages such as the lack of haptic feedback and cost implications.ConclusionThe feasibility of robotic plastic surgery has been demonstrated in several specific indications. As technology, knowledge, and skills in this area improve, these techniques have the potential to contribute positively to patient and provider experience and outcomes