The Face to Face course, which took place on May 13 at the Hospital da Luz Learning Health Centre of Training, Research and Innovation, offered for the first time trainees the possibility to train knee arthroscopic basic and advanced techniques in cadaver parts – a rare opportunity in the panorama of medical education in Portugal. The 16 participants in the course, Orthopaedics internists, were mentored by Carlos Queirós, Javier Vasquez, Pedro Granate and Marcos Correia de Jesus (in the photo above, from left to right), all Hospital da Luz experienced orthopaedists. This was already the fourth edition of Face to Face, but the first one to include this practical component of the training in arthroscopic techniques. “It represents a huge advantage, for it allows to put immediately into practice what is learnt. Moreover, internists in training don’t have this kind of opportunity in their daily activity in the hospital”, highlights Pedro Granate, the scientific advisor of the course. Besides, as he recalls, “this kind of training in Portugal is scarce” . Arthroscopy is largely used in interventions at the level of structures such as the meniscus, ligaments and articular cartilage of the knee. Comparatively to the open approach, the arthroscopic surgery has substantial benefits for the patient, among which a faster recovery and less postoperative pain, thanks to the limited size of the incisions. The Face to Face course is structured so as to allow trainees to practice the minimally invasive arthroscopic techniques, that are used in situations of intra-articular lesions of the knee, meniscus, ligaments and cartilage. Along the one-day course, “the goal is that trainees can learn to recognize the intra-articular structures of the knee, gain more in-depth knowledge of the surgical techniques, being then able to execute them step by step”, explains Pedro Granate. The training is divided into: Basic – where the basic principles of arthroscopy, meniscal lesions (meniscectomy) and chondral lesions (diagnosis and treatment) are approached, followed by practice in cadaver parts; Advanced – where topics such as imaging, meniscal suture, all-inside ACL plasty are approached, followed by practice in cadaver parts. Hospital da Luz Learning Health thanks all the participants, sponsors and trainers. Face to Face will be back in 2023! We invite all those interested in this kind of training to follow the activity of Hospital da Luz Learning Health on social media and on its respective training platform ( UpEvents ).
