Co-edited by Dr Shane O’Hanlon, Consultant Physician in Geriatric Medicine and Associate Clinical Professor, UCD
With lockdown measures finally being reduced, now is the time to celebrate our older people. Emergence is a new anthology of poetry and prose, seen through the eyes of doctors who specialise in the care of older people.
Sinead Gleeson, Oscar Wilde, Jenny Joseph, Benjamin Franklin and Jane Austen are just some of the names included in the book. All proceeds go to age-related charities.
Dr Shane O’Hanlon, Editor said: “In a year like no other, older people were asked to ‘cocoon’ for their own protection. Emergence from this state has been slow to realise, but there is now light at the end of the tunnel.”
Professor Davis Coakley, retired professor of medical gerontology said: “The eclectic collection in this book, selected from the works of authors and poets both ancient and modern, is an excellent introduction to the poetry and prose of ageing.”
Professor Rose Anne Kenny, President of the Irish Gerontological Society and Professor of Medical Gerontology said: “This is an inspired creative anthology of prose and poetry which have been hand-picked by physicians caring for older patients.”
The book includes an original hip-hop piece based on “Hamilton – the musical”, romantic poetry, science fiction, ancient Greek wisdom, fairy tale, seanfhocal and philosophy. It comes in an attractive hard back cover with an image of a butterfly emerging, designed by 13 year old Clara O’Hanlon as a present to her grandparents. The result is a unique collection of gems that celebrates the wisdom and resilience of older people, at a time when they have been marginalised.
The book is available for pre-order now at the website below and will also be for sale in a limited number of independent bookshops.
Interview requests:
Dr Shane O’Hanlon presales@emergenceanthology.ie
Emergence: A Celebration of the Wisdom and Resilience of Ageing
ISBN: 978-1-9161877-1-9
Author O’Hanlon, Shane and Finucane, Paul
Pub Date 1/12/2020
Publisher: Red Barn
Binding Hardback
Pages 256
Country IRE
Dewey 808.8
Quick overview
An anthology of poetry and prose focuses on ageing, seen through the eyes of doctors who specialise in the care of older people
Overview
Geriatricians Shane O’Hanlon and Paul Finucane invited their colleagues – doctors caring for older people – to choose their favourite pieces of poetry and prose on ageing.
In this book, you can journey from Shakespeare to Heaney, from comedy to science fiction, from play to poetry, from ancient Rome to the 29th century. There is philosophy, newspaper interviews, a seanfhocal (Irish saying), religion, a fairy tale, sickness and health, wisdom, loneliness and joy.
There are contributions in French, German, Spanish, English and Irish. The book includes works by Jane Austen, Sinead Gleeson, Benjamin Franklin, Jenny Joseph, Patrick Kavanagh, Plato, Oscar Wilde, WB Yeats and many others.
Additional information
All profits will be donated to age-related charities.
Critically ill patients with COVID-19 treated with a drug that reduces inflammation by modifying the immune system are less likely to die and spend less time in intensive care, an international study has found.
The early findings, which are yet to be published, come from the REMAP-CAP trial, led by Imperial College London and Intensive Care National Audit & Research Centre (ICNARC) in the UK, University College Dublin in Ireland and Utrecht University in Europe. They show that treatment with the immune modulator tocilizumab was 99 per cent more likely to reduce deaths and time spent in intensive care among critically ill patients with severe COVID-19, compared to patients who did not receive the treatment.
In addition, the latest analysis also revealed an antiviral drug lopinavir/ritonavir to be ineffective and provide no additional benefit to critically ill COVID-19 patients, compared to those who did not receive the drug.
Due to the clinical implications for patients, the researchers have released the findings before they have been peer-reviewed, but are working to analyse and publish the full results as soon as possible.
Professor Alistair Nichol, Chair in Critical Care Medicine at University College Dublin and a Consultant in Intensive Care Medicine at St Vincent’s University Hospital Dublin, said: “These early findings show that a single course of treatment with this immune modulating drug can significantly improve the outcomes for the most critically ill COVID-19 patients in intensive care. Once we have completed the analysis of the full dataset, we hope these findings will allow critical care teams around the world to improve the outcomes of the sickest COVID-19 patients.”
The latest analysis was carried out by the Data and Safety Monitoring Board (DSMB) on 17th November and reviewed data from the first 303 patients randomized to receive immune modulation treatments: tocilizumab, sarilumab, anakinra, interferon, or no immune modulator.
Patients receiving tocilizumab were 99 per cent more likely to improve (measured as survival or a shorter period of organ support in ICU) compared to patients who received no immune modulator. However, the trial does not yet know the relative benefits of tocilizumab compared to the other immune modulators. Further data are expected in the coming weeks and months.
The DSMB reported an estimated odds-ratio of 1.87 for a better outcome with tocilizumab compared to no immune modulation, with a 99.75% probability that tocilizumab is superior.
Secondly, analysis of treatment with lopinavir/ritonavir was found to be ineffective, with an estimated odds-ratio of 0.67 (worse than control) with a 99.9 per cent probability of futility (an effect less than 1.20).
REMAP-CAP began investigating treatments for COVID-19 in March 2020, enrolling hospitalized patients with either moderate or severe (requiring ICU care) COVID-19 disease.
The study design randomizes patients to multiple combinations of treatments, enabling researchers to evaluate different treatments for COVID-19, including antivirals, drugs which modulate the immune response, and therapies that modulate or support other vital aspects of the body's response to the virus.
Over 2,000 patients have been enrolled now, including more comparing the different immune modulating drugs, at more than 260 hospitals worldwide and randomized to multiple treatment combinations. The effects of interventions are assessed separately for moderate and severely ill patients.
The latest findings on tocilizumab and lopinavir/ritonavir add to REMAP-CAP findings from earlier this year, which found that hydrocortisone steroid treatment improved recovery among critically ill COVID-19 patients.
“This is an absolutely amazing result”, said Doctor Lennie Derde, Consultant in Intensive Care Medicine at the University Medical Center in Utrecht, the sponsor of the study in Europe, and the Domain Specific Working Group Chair. “To have a second effective therapy for critically ill patients within months of the start of the pandemic is unprecedented. Specific targeting of the immune response is theoretically attractive, and now we have shown it works”.
The study is funded in Ireland by the Health Research Board.
REMAP-CAP
REMAP-CAP (The Randomized Embedded Multifactorial Adaptive Platform for Community Acquired Pneumonia) is an ongoing adaptive clinical trial involving more than 2000 COVID-19 patients at more than 260 clinical sites around the world.
REMAP-CAP continues to evaluate multiple other study questions, including therapeutic anticoagulation, antiplatelets, apremilast, eritoran, anakinra, sarilumab, vitamin C, simvastatin, convalescent plasma, macrolides, and antibiotics.
The UCD Medicine Clinical Pathway is designed to recognise clinicians from across our clinical training network who support our research and teaching programmes despite not having any protected academic time. They bring invaluable skills, expertise and reputational benefit to both the School and the University and ensure that our academic programmes are informed by the current practise of medicine.
A total of 93 applications were received from hospital consultants, senior radiographers and advanced paramedics from over 25 different clinical locations. Applicants were required to present evidence of their contributions to UCD academic programmes and university outputs in three principle domains:
Applications were evaluated by the School’s academic Section Leaders before being considered by the Review Panel comprising senior academic staff from across the School and from two other Irish Medical Schools. Thirty two first time applicants were appointed as UCD Assistant Clinical Professors and a further 20 as UCD Associate Clinical Professors.
Of the 32 promotion applications, twenty two previous appointees were promoted to higher academic ranks including two individuals who advanced by two ranks based on the assessment of the Review Panel. Successful promotion applications included:
Consistent with the University adjunct appointments procedures, all appointments made under the UCD Medicine Clinical Pathway are for a period of 5 years, although they may be renewed on application. The Review Panel considered nine such re-appointment requests and deemed that each provided sufficient evidence of continued contribution to merit re-appointment under the scheme for another five year term. The output of one individual was deemed sufficient to merit advancement from UCD Clinical Professor to UCD Full Clinical Professor.
Prof Kenneth McDonald
The Review Panel recommended the promotion of Prof Kenneth McDonald, Consultant Cardiologist at St Vincent’s University Hospital, to the academic rank of UCD Full Clinical Professor in recognition of his very strong research performance for many years. The Review Panel noted that Prof McDonald is a global leader in his field and his research has led to change in clinical practice in the treatment of heart failure. First appointed to the pathway in 2008, Prof McDonald advanced to UCD Clinical Professor in 2013 before his most recent promotion to the highest academic rank.
Prof Aurélie Fabre
Noting her very strong performance across all domains and her active collaboration with UCD Pathology, the Review Panel recommended the promotion of Prof Aurélie Fabre, consultant histopathologist at St Vincent’s University Hospital, to UCD Full Clinical Professor. The Review Panel commended her active assistance in setting up the histology core facility at the UCD Conway Institute, an essential resource for clinical translational research and for her strong teaching contribution. They also highlighted her strong international profile, in particular her prominent role in Pathology Societies in both Ireland and the United Kingdom. First appointed to the UCD Medicine Clinical Pathway in 2010, she was twice successful in promotion applications (2014 and 2016).
Prof Glen Doherty
Consultant Gastroenterologist at St Vincent’s University Hospital, Prof Glen Doherty as also recommended for promotion to the highest academic rank, UCD Full Clinical Professor. Noting very strong research output and active supervision of both PhD and MD students, significant research grant funding and publications, the Review Panel also highlighted his national and international profile and his clinical leadership as HSE Endoscopy Lead. Prof Doherty was first appointed to the UCD Medicine Clinical Pathway in 2011 and has previously been promoted in 2014.
Prof Kevin Walsh,
Prof Kevin Walsh, Consultant Paediatric Cardiologist, CHI at Crumlin, was also promoted to UCD Full Clinical Professor. Although his application was for re-appointment at the rank of UCD Clinical Professor, the Review Panel considered his academic record merited promotion when compared with other appointees. The Review Panel noted Prof Walsh’s very strong research output and described him as “an incredible innovator in paediatric cardiology with a very strong international profile”. Prof Walsh’s pro bono work in Vietnam was also commended. First appointed in 2012 as UCD Senior Clinical Lecturer, Prof Walsh was promoted to UCD Clinical Professor in 2014 before this promotion to the top academic rank.
Both Prof Séan Gaine (Consultant in Respiratory Medicine at Mater Misericordiae University Hospital) and Prof Brian Kirby (Consultant Dermatologist at St Vincent’s University Hospital) were re-appointed at the rank of UCD Full Clinical Professor for another term.
In total, the UCD Medicine Clinical Pathway 2019/2020 has resulted in the appointment, reappointment, or promotion of:
First introduced in 2008/2009, the UCD Medicine Clinical Pathway aims to recognise the many hospital consultants, general practitioners, radiographers, advanced paramedics and other clinical staff who support our teaching and/or research programmes. It has proven highly popular among our extended clinical faculty with over 1,200 applications received across the past twelve years of the scheme and a total of 820 appointments.
Although the scheme opened for applications in December 2019, the review process was considerably delayed as our clinical staff first prioritised the national Covid-19 pandemic response and thereafter the knock-on effects of the subsequent public health restrictions on our teaching programmes. We apologise for the delay in the conclusion of the 2019/2020 scheme.
The School extends our thanks to our entire clinical faculty who generously support our programmes, often without any dedicate academic time. We hope that through adjunct appointment to the School and progression within the UCD Medicine Clinical Pathway, we can support their continued contribution and welcome to our academic community. We also send our appreciation to the academic and administrative staff who have supported the scheme during a challenging time.
For a full list of the adjunct clinical faculty appointed to date under the UCD Medicine Clinical Pathway, please visit https://www.ucd.ie/medicine/
The UCD Medicine Clinical Pathway 2020/2021 will open for applications in December 2020.
For further information, please see https://www.ucd.ie/medicine/ourcommunity/ourstaff/ouradjunctstaff/ucdclinicalpathway/
‘Psychiatry Algorithms for Primary Care’ collaboration between UCD, UL and TCD Schools of Medicine
The e-book of a textbook ‘Psychiatry Algorithms for Primary Care’ (Wiley-Blackwell, 1st Edn, 2020) authored by Professor Gautam Gulati, Professor Brendan Kelly and Professor Walter Cullen has just been released and is now available on mobile devices through Amazon Kindle, Kobo, Google books, Barnes & Noble etc. The print copy will be published on 8th January 2021 and will be available through all major bookshops /websites in a number of countries including Ireland, UK, US, Brazil and Japan. The e-book edition contains embedded html links so that clinicians can access screening tools etc. on clicking the relevant link in any chapter on their mobile device.
The majority of mental health complaints are treated in primary care and this textbook provides a quick reference guide to help GPs and other healthcare professionals who may be working in primary care to manage patients attending with these problems. The textbook contains a treatment algorithm for each common mental health condition, including guidance on when referral may be necessary. Designed to be used ‘within consultation’, it combines international guidance e.g. from NICE/RCGP/ICGP and suggests diagnostic criteria, functional evaluation, first and second line medication choices as well as non-pharmacological approaches to treatment. Other useful chapters include the assessment of patients who may present with suicidal thoughts, medically unexplained symptoms, insomnia and fatigue. This book may be of interest to practicing GPs, psychiatrists, nurses, psychologists, social workers, occupational therapists, and students / trainees in these areas. The book is likely to be especially relevant for GP trainees.
Writing in the foreword, Prof Chris Dowrick (Professor of General Practice at University of Liverpool and Chair of the World Organisation of Family Doctors Working Group on Mental Health) said: “The book is an invaluable aide memoire for GPs and for GPs in training, for use in real time encounters when immediate support is needed”.
The book is written by: Professor Gautam Gulati (University of Limerick), Professor Walter Cullen (University College Dublin and General Practitioner) and Professor Brendan Kelly (Trinity College Dublin and Health Services Executive)
E-book now available from:
And available in booksellers on 8th January 2021.
As we were all living through L3 and getting ready for L5 and even more stringent restrictions, where it is easier than ever to find ourselves between computer, couch and kitchen, the always dynamic UCD MedSoc was plotting the very clever ‘Fitness to Practice’ campaign. The four week four campaign which the Society launched on Wed 21st Oct offered students and staff the opportunity to break that cycle with a very inviting incentive to get moving more and meet new people and have lots of fun along the way.
Over the four weeks, students and staff in 34 teams of 10 were encouraged to complete daily fitness and novelty challenges, each worth a predetermined number of points. The activities included running, walking, cycling, roller-skating, skate-boarding, swimming (in the chilly sea) and on-line fitness classes and the novel challenges (whereby new challenges were invented and delivered up every week in accordance with Public Health Guidelines) included taking a pic with a fox or of a rainbow, carving a pumpkin, dressing up on Halloween night, sharing a recipe with your team or cooking a recipe with your team mate, doing 20 burpees in a row, doing a 15 min plank, cartwheeling, skinny dipping (no less!) posting a TikTok dance, taking a picture with a deer, feeding the ducks in your local park, sending a handwritten note to someone and the all-important donating to your favourite charity. Essentially there was something for everyone and we were all asked to log our the activities and challenges with evidence (pictures, Strava screen shots etc.) via a dedicated section on https://www.ucdmedicalsociety.com/.
The winning team which comprised students from Stage 5 and Stage 6 was captained by Tess Montminy achieved 7,415 points and the runner team achieved 6,866 points. Members of the winning team ‘took home’ a €20 Just Eat voucher, a bottle of Lambrini and three Oxford Handbooks. Bring on Fitness to Practice 2021!
Please see below list of ELIGIBLE PARTICIPANTS for recruitment purposes
Returners are those who are not in receipt of a payment from the Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection but who have been out of the work environment for a number of years due to childcare or other caring obligations. They have a previous history of employment but may require upskilling, reskilling or cross-skilling to transition back to the workforce.
To be eligible the applicant must have been:
It should be noted that acceptance on to a postgraduate course does not confer any entitlement to DEASP payments or childcare supports. Returners will not pay any course fees.
People in receipt of PUP or a jobseekers payment can participate on approved July Stimulus part time postgraduate courses. This category of participant is not liable to pay a fee under this scheme. In addition, in terms of the priority categories as set out in the call document, this category of applicant should take priority in the allocation of additional places in the recruitment of participants to approved postgraduate part-time courses.
Applicants who are employed will need to meet the residency requirements, i.e. that the applicant has been ordinarily resident in an EU/EEA/UK/Swiss state for at least three of the five years preceding their entry to the programme.
This category of applicant will also be required to provide a copy of their most recent ‘Employment Detail Summary’ or other relevant revenue documentation.
Applicants will be required to pay 10% of the course fee.
To be eligible those who are formerly self-employed must provide a letter/statement from Revenue confirming that the applicant is no longer trading or a similar letter from the applicants (former) accountant should be sufficient.
Alternatively, a participant can swear a declaration stating that they are no longer self-employed. Applicants will be required to pay 10% of the course fee.
Recent graduates
Full and Part time Postgraduate courses are open to recent graduates. However, to participate in these courses, 2020 graduates will be required to pay 10% of the course fee.
Eligible participants must have at least a Level 8 qualification or equivalent prior to acceptance onto a course. Exact academic eligibility requirements will be determined by individual providers and may depend on the nature of the course.
Further eligibility details: https://springboardcourses.ie/eligibility
Please note personal data may be shared with the Higher Education Authority (HEA), for example to determine eligibility for funding or for statistical purposes. This will at all times be done in compliance with GDPR and the Data Protection Act 2018. Further information can be found here- https://hea.ie/about-us/
As we approach our end of Trimester exams and I reflect on the last number of weeks, it’s hard to fully appreciate the changes that we’ve seen this year to the way that we live our lives. As social distancing now presides over everything we do, its effect on our college experience has been stark. Academically it has been challenging. Summoning the motivation to spend three or four hours a day staring at an unreactive screen, all without the usual draws that are meeting friends and making use of the campus facilities has been difficult.
This age of social distancing also brings with it a feeling of isolation as casual discussions about lectures with classmates in the corridors are a thing of the past and it feels as though attending classes and doing course work is now a solitary exercise. This social isolation ushered in by C-19 restrictions is of course necessary and I am thankful and incredibly lucky that all I have to complain about is missing my friends. There are others who are suffering far greater losses with lost loved ones, livelihoods and opportunities they will never get back.
When running for Auditor of the Medical Society in April I never expected for things to go on so long. I had great faith in our collective power to stamp the infection by the end of the summer. I was sorely mistaken, but with a vaccine on the horizon I am once again hopeful that we will be in a position to resume some of our normal activities in Trimester 2. I feel that we are a very lucky group of students in UCD with the sense of community within our School unlike any other. As a society focused around social, academic, charitable and sporting activities many of our staple events this year had to be cancelled. In light of the isolation we are experiencing we prioritised fostering our sense of community, feeling that at times like these it is our greatest asset when it comes to overcoming the side-effects of COVID-19 restrictions. We introduced new events like “Welcome to Medicine” webinars for all cohorts of incoming first year students and a largescale activity and novelty challenge based team competition, “Fitness to Practice” in the hope to break down the walls that online learning puts up around us.
As a Stage 4 student, I’m looking forward to what the time after the Christmas break holds. As I progress to the clinical aspect of the Medicine programme I’m excited for new experiences and putting theory to practice. I will be glad that the period of blended, with a focus on on-line learning, will be behind me and hopefully we will be in a position where teaching, learning and being a student can go back to some resemblance of ‘normal’.
Please see below list of ELIGIBLE PARTICIPANTS for recruitment purposes
Returners are those who are not in receipt of a payment from the Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection but who have been out of the work environment for a number of years due to childcare or other caring obligations. They have a previous history of employment but may require upskilling, reskilling or cross-skilling to transition back to the workforce.
To be eligible the applicant must have been:
It should be noted that acceptance on to a postgraduate course does not confer any entitlement to DEASP payments or childcare supports. Returners will not pay any course fees.
People in receipt of PUP or a jobseekers payment can participate on approved July Stimulus part time postgraduate courses. This category of participant is not liable to pay a fee under this scheme. In addition, in terms of the priority categories as set out in the call document, this category of applicant should take priority in the allocation of additional places in the recruitment of participants to approved postgraduate part-time courses.
Applicants who are employed will need to meet the residency requirements, i.e. that the applicant has been ordinarily resident in an EU/EEA/UK/Swiss state for at least three of the five years preceding their entry to the programme.
This category of applicant will also be required to provide a copy of their most recent ‘Employment Detail Summary’ or other relevant revenue documentation.
Applicants will be required to pay 10% of the course fee.
To be eligible those who are formerly self-employed must provide a letter/statement from Revenue confirming that the applicant is no longer trading or a similar letter from the applicants (former) accountant should be sufficient.
Alternatively, a participant can swear a declaration stating that they are no longer self-employed. Applicants will be required to pay 10% of the course fee.
Recent graduates
Full and Part time Postgraduate courses are open to recent graduates. However, to participate in these courses, 2020 graduates will be required to pay 10% of the course fee.
Eligible participants must have at least a Level 8 qualification or equivalent prior to acceptance onto a course. Exact academic eligibility requirements will be determined by individual providers and may depend on the nature of the course.
Further eligibility details: https://springboardcourses.ie/eligibility
PORSAV Project Aims to Protect Surgeons and Patients from COVID-19
DUBLIN, 30 October, 2020: An R&D project to develop new technology to protect surgeons and patients from COVID-19 has received €2.4 million funding from the European Commission. The rapid 18-month consortium project, PORSAV, is being led by Irish medical technology SME Palliare and project manager Pintail Ltd, in collaboration with University College Dublin, as well as Polish medical device manufacturer SteriPack and leading French institution for surgical training IRCAD.
THE PROBLEM:
When surgeons perform laparoscopic (keyhole) surgery, surgical instruments and cameras are operated through a tube that holds the incision open. The patient’s body is inflated with carbon dioxide gas, to give the surgeon room to see and to operate. However, small amounts of this gas can escape, and these aerosols can contain viral particles, endangering surgeons and depositing the virus on operating room surfaces.
The threat of these viral aerosols has a huge impact on the frequency and availability of surgery, appropriate safety protocols, and the time it takes to clean the operating room between procedures.
THE SOLUTION:
With the aid of the critical new EU funding, the PORSAV project will address this problem through a new technological solution – developed by bringing together the expertise of European leaders in medical device manufacturing, and academic leaders in digital surgery and engineering research and innovation.
Palliare has developed a vacuum ring, the LeakTrapTM, which captures stray air leaks that occur around the edge of the keyhole surgery tube or the incision, and pipes potentially infectious air away for correct disposal. A similar device, the EndoTrapTM, protects gastroenterologists performing endoscopies from the breath, coughing or sneezing of their patients. The PORSAV project will produce thousands of LeakTraps and EndoTraps to be used in operating rooms around the world.
UCD researchers will carry out extensive clinical validation of the new products. Dr Kevin Nolan from UCD School of Mechanical and Materials Engineering brings optical expertise to develop portable, innovative imaging technology for the operating room, to accurately characterise and measure the potentially hazardous invisible gas leaks. The UCD Digital Surgery unit, led by Professor Ronan Cahill, will then carry out clinical trials in conjunction with the Mater Hospital to test Palliare’s new devices in real time.
Investigators Prof Bernard Dallemagne and Prof Silvana Perretta will direct a second trial at IRCAD in France and will use the new technology and information to train surgeons around the world on how to reduce the risks of COVID-19 in the operating room.
SteriPack will mass-produce the disposable tubing in Poland, while the vacuum technology is manufactured by Palliare in Galway. Pintail will provide project management and administrative support.
Palliare co-founder, John O’Dea said: “For several months after the pandemic started, surgical procedures stopped due to concerns around risks to hospital staff from aerosolized virus. We are delighted to have assembled such an outstanding multi-disciplinary team and are grateful to the European Commission for the support to conduct this research and development project aiming to make surgery safer during this and future pandemics. Surgery can’t stop!”
“Our experience in Med Tech innovation has always been that the progress of any significant medical device hinges on the collaboration of passionate clinicians and passionate engineers. Palliare has found such a passion for clinical innovation in surgery and for active publication in Professor Ronan Cahill at UCD and Professors Perretta and Dallemagne at IRCAD in Strasbourg. We are excited about moving forward in researching and trialling new surgical devices with these innovative physicians.”
For further information contact Caroline Byrne, Communications Manager, UCD Research and Innovation, caroline.byrne1@ucd.ie.
NOTES
Led by Professor Ronan Cahill, the UCD Centre for Precision Surgery brings together clinicians, researchers and industry to enhance the field of surgery, including Ireland’s first Digital Surgery Unit at the Mater Misericordiae University Hospital. The centre works closely with UCD Anatomy, UCD Biomedical Engineering and UCD Computer Science, as well as with the Royal College of Surgeons In Ireland.
For further information on the UCD Centre for Precision Surgery, please see https://www.ucd.ie/medicine/
Based in Galway, Ireland, Palliare is dedicated to advancing the state of the art in smoke evacuation and insufflation technologies for laparoscopic, endolumenal, endoscopic and robotic surgery.
PORSAV is a project that emanated out of early collaborative work between John O’Dea of Irish SME Palliare and Professor Ronan Cahill. The early work took place in Ireland at the beginning of the COVID-19 crisis in March 2020, when, in most parts of the world, laparoscopic surgery was shutting down due to perceived risks to staff from COVID-19 infection. It is not practical for surgery to stop in the face of such pandemics, yet the issue of reinstating surgery has been in the background up to now. There is an urgent need to study the nature and risks associated with standard surgical practice in the face of aerosolized COVID-19 virus, potentially infecting staff due to gas leaks from the abdomen during surgery.
Protecting healthcare staff and preserving key clinical practice is a key WHO priority area for the immediate term in the COVID-19 pandemic, and also after the pandemic ends, in the new practice landscape, where COVID-19 will be widespread for the foreseeable future.
25% of COVID-19 infections are in healthcare staff, with the greatest risk relating to those performing aerosolising procedures.
PORSAV aims to make the new devices available within 12 months of project commencement, as a key objective.
The Mater Hospital in Dublin will be one of the first sites in the world to trial these technologies.