XXXIII Waterford Surgical October MeetingSaturday, 12 October 2024

Welcome to the XXXIII Waterford Surgical October Meeting 

On behalf of my colleagues on the organising committee, Professor Gerry O’Donoghue, Professor Fiachra Cooke, Mr Peter McCullough, Professor Padraig Daly, Professor Ruairi MacNiocaill, Professor May Cleary, Ms Jennie O’Leary and myself I would like to welcome you to this year’s XXXIII Waterford Surgical October Meeting. The theme of this year‘s meeting is “Surgical Complications”. 

This year at the Waterford Surgical October Meeting we focus on Surgical Complications. Complications in healthcare can be devastating to both patients and their family. It can result in devastating morbidity and unfortunately sometimes even mortality.  Improvements in surgical approaches and techniques helping to minimise the potential for adverse outcomes are ever evolving. However, not withstanding this, surgical complications are a persistent burden that patients ongoingly experience. There is a duty on surgeons, healthcare professionals and all healthcare systems to minimise the occurrence of these complications and further minimise the impact it has on patient care and outcome. 

I am very proud and delighted to announce an extremely distinguished faculty that will explore various components of surgical complications. This meeting aims to explore the impact of patient complications in a variety of subspecialty disciplines. The meeting hopes to deliver an understanding of why they occur, optimisation of their management and ways to minimise their occurrence. Furthermore, the meeting aims to explore a deeper understanding of the varying aspects of healthcare related complications. It intends to provide an understanding not only into the effect complications may have on patients and their families but also on healthcare professionals, healthcare systems and indeed their extended families both professionally and psycho-socially. It intends to explore and further inform ourselves about potential medical legal endeavours, complaints processes and lessons learned from other non-healthcare based industries. Furthermore, this meeting acknowledges and celebrates the tremendous endeavour of research amongst us. Submissions and presentations by surgeons in training will provide additional opportunities to gain insights into surgical developments. 

One of the huge highlights of this meeting is the Gordon Watson lecture which will be delivered by Mr Gerry McEntee Consultant Hepato-Biliary Surgeon, Mater Misericordiae University Hospital, Dublin. It is a huge honour and pleasure to welcome Mr. Gerry McEntee’s experience, wisdom and insights into the lessons he has learned throughout his exemplary career spent working in the Irish healthcare setting. It is with great excitement that I welcome you all to the XXXIIII Waterford Surgical October Meeting. I sincerely hope that you enjoy the meeting. 

Professor Peter M. Neary MB, MScLHPE, MA, MD, FRCS(Colorectal)

Professor & Inaugural Chair of Surgical Oncology
Academic Head of Department
Consultant General & Colorectal Surgeon
University Hospital Waterford/University College Cork

Mr David Sellu

Biography

David Sellu, an author, equality advocate and surgeon, qualified in Medicine from Manchester and held his first post as Consultant Surgeon in Oman. There he helped shape the curriculum of the new medical school and also worked in a new tertiary hospital. 

On return to the UK in 1993, Sellu was employed as an academic, as a Senior Lecturer in Surgery at the then Royal Postgraduate Medical School at Hammersmith Hospital, later incorporated into Imperial College. Afterwards, he transferred to the NHS as a Consultant General and Colorectal Surgeon at Ealing Hospital. While at Ealing, he was granted practising privileges at the private Clementine Churchill Hospital in Harrow. 

A patient died under his care at the Clementine in 2010, an event that was to change his life. He was unfairly convicted of the patient’s manslaughter and given a two-and-a-half year prison sentence; he served half of this in some of the toughest prisons in the country. 

On his release his friends, led by Dr Jenny Vaughan (RIP), his family and he launched an appeal, which saw his conviction overturned in the Royal Courts of Justice. The conducts of the CPS, trial judge and the expert witnesses were criticised. In the course of this case, evidence was uncovered of racism and corporate greed, where the interest of the business prevailed over patient safety. 

Sellu has written an account of these events in a memoir entitled ‘Did He Save Lives? A Surgeon’s Story.’ He is keen for lessons to be learned from this unfortunate case and he is documenting these in a sequel to his memoir entitled ‘When Things Go Wrong in Healthcare, Can we do better?’ to be available soon.

Mr Gerry McEntee

Biography

• Graduated UCD 1978
• B Sc Anatomy, UCD 1979 – 1980
• FRCSI 1986
• HPB Fellow Mayo Clinic Rochester 1989 – 1990
• Kings College Hospital London 1991 – 1992

Appointed Consultant HPB & General Surgeon, Mater Misericordiae Hospital and St. Vincent’s Hospital 1991

Principle interests include management of liver metastatic disease, benign & malignant biliary tract disease, management of severe pancreatitis and groin sports injuries

Captain Karl O’Neill

Biography

Karl is an aviation professional with over 25 years in the airline industry. Hailing from Dublin, he was educated at Blackrock College graduating in 1993. He studied Business Law at UCD and subsequently completed a MSc in Business Management at the UCD Smurfit Business School, Dublin. 

He completed his Flight Training at British Aerospace Flight Training in Jerez, Spain where he was awarded the Best Pilot Award for 1999. 

Karl has flown several commercial aircraft and is currently rated on the Airbus A320 and Airbus A330. He has held several airline management and post holder positions. 

He presently is Chief Instructor with Aer Lingus in Dublin. In his operational capacity, he holds the highest qualification in aviation as a Senior Type Rating Examiner - awarded by the Irish Aviation Authority. He has been involved in many innovative projects and was Vice -Chair of the European ATPG – an expert body providing opinion to the EU on Air Crew regulation. 

In May 2024 he received the Flight Training Europe Award for Excellence in Flight Training. 

He is a keen cyclist and avid sports fan. He spends his free time coaching as a certified GAA coach with Kilmacud Crokes and Rugby coach with Blackrock College RFC.

Mr Ivor Cullen

Biography

Mr. Cullen is a fellowship trained Urologist and Andrologist working as a consultant since 2014.  

He was appointed Consultant Urologist in UHW in 2015 and had 6 excellent years there before taking up a role in Beaumont as clinical lead in the newly established National Penile Cancer Centre. 

His area of practice includes general urology and the andrology sub-speciaty. He is presently the NCCP national lead for Penile Cancer in Ireland.

He completed Undergraduate education in UCC  in 2002.He was awarded FRCS ( Urol) in 2011

He completed a Fellowship in the Institute of Urology and St Peters Andrology unit in UCLH London 2013 - 2014 in genital oncology, genital oncoplastics and benign andrology.

Dr Brendan Moran

Biography

Dr. Brendan Moran is currently a Surgical Senior House Officer (SHO) at Mercy University Hospital, with a keen interest in pursuing a career in upper gastrointestinal (GI) surgery. He holds a Masters in Surgery (MCh) and a Masters of Science (MSc) in addition to his undergraduate medical degree and is in the final stages of a PhD, examining the role of HDAC inhibitors (HDACi) as an immunotherapy modality in oesophageal adenocarcinoma. In his free time Brendan also enjoys playing hurling with Salthill/Knocknacarra in Galway and traveling at every opportunity. 

In keeping with his focus on future innovations in surgery, Brendan's presentation will explore the role of Artificial Intelligence (AI) in surgery, examining its potential to revolutionize surgical practice and improve patient outcomes."

Professor Fiachra Cooke

Biography

Fiachra Cooke graduated with honours from NUI, Galway in 1998 and went on to complete higher surgical training in 2009.

He was appointed a consultant colorectal surgeon in 2009 and has been the lead for rectal cancer surgery in UHW since his coming to the southeast in June 2010.

He has a special interest in rectal cancer surgery / interventional GI endoscopy / colorectal cancer screening / training and quality improvement.

Dr Ruth O’Riordan

Biography

Dr Ruth O’Riordan, MB BCh BAO, MRCPI, MRCPUK, MPH

Graduated from University College Cork in 2010. Completed training in Ireland in 2019 and awarded Master of Public health in the same year. First consultant appointment was to the Acute Medicine department in St James hospital. Appointed as the first Infectious Disease consultant in University Hospital Waterford and commenced in post in 2021. She is a member of National Immunisation Advisory Committee (NIAC), member of the Infectious Diseases clinical care programme advisory group and Member of the Infectious Diseases Society of Ireland (IDSI) scientific committee. Areas of interest are bone and joint infections, Diabetic foot infection and population health.

Mr Jamie Ferguson

Biography

Jamie Ferguson is as full time Limb Reconstruction Consultant based in the Bone Infection Unit at the Nuffield Orthopaedic Centre in Oxford, UK. Here he works as part of a multidisciplinary team, managing complex bone infection of various aetiologies, including haematogenous osteomyelitis, fracture related infection, and infected non-union. The Bone Infection Unit is unique in the UK as it includes a dedicated inpatient ward, admitting cases with bone infection from across the country, and internationally. The ethos of this team is to deliver patient friendly surgery, with a focus on delivering single stage interventions with early restoration of function, often including orthoplastic reconstruction as a single operation.

His practice includes the management of non-union, limb deformity and reconstruction of large long bone defects in both the upper and lower limb following infection, tumour excision or trauma.

He works closely with the Major Trauma Centre at the John Radcliffe Hospital, Oxford and supports a multidisciplinary team meeting for the discussion for complex cases and those suspected of having fracture related infection in the trauma department.

He was awarded the Limb Lengthening and Reconstruction Society 2018 Fellowship to the United States and undertook a British Orthopaedic Association Travelling Fellowship to the Ilizarov Institute in Kurgan, Russia.

He spent a year at the Beit Cure International Hospital in Blantyre, Malawi on a Furlong Fellowship treating cases with complex bone infection.

He has published on several aspects of infection management, including Ilizarov limb reconstruction techniques in bone infection, dead space management in osteomyelitis, the use of local antibiotic carriers, and the diagnosis of fracture-related infection. His collaboration on histological diagnosis of infection contributed to the International Consensus Definition of Fracture Related Infection.

Mr Greg Fulton

Biography

• Belfast native.
• Graduate TCD 1990
• FRCSI 1993
• Vascular Biology Fellowship Duke University 1994-96
• Doctorate of Medicine, TCD 1999
• Senior Registrar Training – Irish Higher Surgical Training Scheme 1997-2001
• Intercollegiate Fellowship – 2000
• Endovascular Fellowship – 2002 – Cleveland Clinic Foundation
• Appointed Cork University Hospital (CUH) Consultant 2002
• Masters in Legal Medicine, Cardiff University – 2023 (First Class Honours)
• Chairman, Department of Surgery CUH – Current
• Clinical Lead for Vascular Surgery CUH - Current
• Member National Executive Irish Hospital Consultants Association - Current

Mr Kevin Dunne

Biography

Kevin is a partner and head of the Healthcare Regulatory Team at Hayes Solicitors. He leads a team of expert healthcare law solicitors, who represent and defend doctors the subject of complaints to the Medical Council at all stages of that process including at the Preliminary Proceedings Committee stage, at Fitness to Practise Hearings and in the High Court. Kevin also has substantial litigation experience, including the defence of medical negligence claims and he frequently represents doctors at Coroner Inquests.

Dr Ellen Walshe

Biography

Dr Ellen Walshe MB ChB BAO BMedSci MSc MRCPCH FFFLM

Medicolegal Consultant 

Ellen graduated from UCC and worked in General Paediatrics and Paediatric Intensive Care in Dublin and London. Ellen has worked in the medicolegal field since 2007, gaining postgraduate qualifications and joined Medical Protection in 2020. She has extensive experience advising and supporting members throughout the UK and Ireland with ethical and legal issues including claims, regulatory, disciplinary, coronial and complaint investigations and professional performance concerns.