“Going from strength to strength”—Queen Mary Hospital (QMH) Second Thoracic Surgery Symposium

The Queen Mary Hospital (QMH) Second Thoracic Surgery Symposium was held on September 5, 2017 at Queen Mary Hospital, Hong Kong, China. Under the leadership of Dr. Timmy Au, Chief of Service, Cardiothoracic Surgery, Queen Mary Hospital, an army of world-renowned experts in the field of thoracic surgery, including Prof. Garrett Lyndon Walsh, University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center, USA; Dr. Hon Chi Suen, Center for Cardiothoracic Surgery, Inc., USA; Prof. Francesco Puma, University of Perugia School of Medicine, Italy; Prof. Calvin Sze Hang Ng, Prince of Wales Hospital, Hong Kong, China; Dr. Michael Kuan Yew Hsin and Dr. Ko Yung Sit, Queen Mary Hospital, Hong Kong, China, were invited to share and study a number of clinical cases through this valuable opportunity. Meanwhile, Prof. Simon Y. K. Law, The University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong, China; Prof. Enders K. W. Ng, The Chinese University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong, China; Dr. Clement S. W. Chiu, Dr. K. M. Ko and Dr. Alan W. S. Suen, Queen Mary Hospital, Hong Kong, China, were invited to be moderators to maintain a highly-effective and high-standard academic platform (Figure 1).

Figure 1 A group photo featuring the attending experts.

The editorial team of AME Publishing Company was honoured to attend this symposium and report the eventful information to our fellow readers.

To raise the curtain of the symposium, Dr. Che-Chung Luk, Hospital Chief Executive, Queen Mary Hospital and Prof. John Wong, former Chief of Surgery of University of Hong Kong and nicknamed the “godfather of surgery” delivered welcome speeches by reviewing the department of thoracic surgery and showing valuable pictures of the surgical environment and clinical cases in the past, which marked the history of Hong Kong thoracic surgery (Figure 2).

Figure 2 Prof. John Wong was delivering the welcome speech at the symposium.

This symposium provided an interactive forum for presentation and discussion of a diversity of topics including minimally invasive thoracic surgery, lung transplant, tracheoesophageal fistula, esophageal reconstruction, pulmonary artery reconstruction, carinal resection, iatrogenic airway injury and chest wall reconstruction. The speakers put forward critical and inspiring questions that evoked heated discussions about the pros and cons and feasibilities of the various surgical techniques.

Dr. Hon Chi Suen, our Journal of Thoracic Disease (JTD) editorial board member, illustrated the difficulties and solutions in his clinical cases with both texts and pictures, not to mention the vivid surgical videos showcasing various surgical techniques. Dr. Suen kept raising questions and supplementing examples from his clinical experience to promote academic exchange (Figure 3).

Figure 3 Dr. Hon Chi Suen, Center for Cardiothoracic Surgery, Inc., USA, was recalling the old days with his mentors to whom he expressed his sincerest gratitude.

Prof. Walsh delivered in-depth presentations of both tracheoesophageal fistula and superior sulcus tumor using a problem-based approach. He explained the cases from different angles making his demonstration clear, comprehensive and beneficial to the audience (Figures 4,5).

Figure 4 Prof. Walsh was presenting the repair of stent induced tracheoesophageal fistulas.

Figure 5 The experts were having a fruitful discussion at the meeting.

Prof. Puma indicated that there is no one single perfect method for chest wall reconstruction, yet, doctors should try their best to avoid the obstacles and minimize the risks during operation. He opined that chest wall resection and reconstruction is a very interesting research field and there would be differences and challenges in every operation. An integration of critical thinking and experience is thus needed. Learning is like rowing upstream—not to advance is to drop back. With the rapid advancement of technology, doctors have to keep learning and making good use of the technology to keep improving themselves (Figure 6).

Figure 6 Prof. Francesco Puma, University of Perugia School of Medicine, Italy.

Prominent experts in thoracic surgery gathered at the symposium to touch off a series of all-rounded clinical analyses and discussions. They all looked forward to the next symposium in the near future that will spark off new insights into the field (Figures 7-9).

Figure 7 Prof. Calvin Sze Hang Ng, Prince of Wales Hospital, Hong Kong.

Figure 8 Dr. Michael Kuan Yew Hsin, Queen Mary Hospital, Hong Kong, China, was sharing his experience of lung transplant in Hong Kong.

Figure 9 Dr. Timmy Au was giving a closing speech.

At the symposium, AME editors had the honor to conduct exclusive interviews with Prof. Garrett Lyndon Walsh, Dr. Hon Chi Suen and Prof. Francesco Puma. For details, please turn over and read on.

Acknowledgements

On behalf of the editorial office of JTD, we would like to extend our gratitude to QMH photography team for providing the event photos.

Footnote

Conflicts of Interest: The author has no conflicts of interest to declare.

(Science Editor: Mike Cheung, JTD, jtd@amepc.org)