Translational microsurgery. A new platform for transplantation research

ABSTRACT PURPOSE: Clinical microsurgery has been introduced in many fields, while experimental microsurgery has the cross-disciplinary features of the sciences and techniques for growth of medicine, pharmacology, veterinary, engineering etc. Training protocol, proposing a new name as Translational Microsurgery, was introduced. METHODS: Reconstructive skills of hepatic artery in pediatric living donor liver transplantation were summarized. Ex vivo training protocol using artificial blood vessel for surgeons was proposed. RESULTS: Clinical microsurgery requires anastomosis with delicate arteries and limited field of view. Our training protocol revealed that the relation between the score and speed was seen, while not all the surgeons with enough experience got high score. This training led to muster clinical skills and to apply excellent experimental works. CONCLUSIONS: Our microsurgical training protocol has been planned from the points of clinical setting. Training for vascular anastomosis led to rodent transplantation models. These models were used for immunology and immunosuppressant research. Microsurgical techniques led to master catheter technique and to inject various drugs or gene vectors.

Liver transplantation as a multidisciplinary strategy for undergraduate education / Transplante de fígado como estratégia multidisciplinar de ensino de graduação

The program of liver transplantation can contribute in an excellent manner to undergraduate educationon a daily basis, especially in the form of scientific initiation with studies of experimental investigation in the laboratory or as formal monitoring in experimental or clinical investigation. In the latter modality, the student helps his tutoring professor in activities more related to the ward and to the Surgical Center, with studies on the clinical follow-up of patients, or with case studies in both prospective and retrospective investigations. It is the task of the adviser to attribute balanced activities whose time of execution will not interfere with formal graduation hours. Similarly, it is the responsibility of the student to structure his free time in order to devote part of it to the exercise of scientific activity. On this basis, the medical student will have the opportunity to experience the most varied facets of transplantation, acquiring the necessary systemic view of the procedure as his knowledge expands. The importance of liver transplant is exactly this, i.e., to obtain a complete idea of the whole with daily contact along time starting from the complex parts that constitute the procedure, exposes the student to diverse clinical situations rarely encountered together in other specialties, permitting him to participate in situations and discussions that are not often addressed during the medical course.

O programa de transplante de fígado presta-se, no dia a dia, de forma excelente, ao ensino de graduação, especialmente na forma de iniciação científica com trabalhos de investigação experimental em laboratórios ou na forma de monitoria formal em investigação experimental ou clínica. Nesta segunda modalidade, o aluno auxilia o professor orientador em atividades mais ligadas à enfermaria e centro cirúrgico, com trabalhos de acompanhamento clínico dos doentes, ou estudos de casos em investigações tanto prospectivas como retrospectivas. Cabe ao orientador, atribuir atividades balanceadas, cujos horários de execução não colidam com os formais da graduação. Da mesma forma, cabe ao aluno estruturar suas horas livres para dedicar parte delas ao exercício da atividade científica. Assim, o aluno de graduação, terá a oportunidade de vivenciar as mais variadas facetas do transplante, tendo dele a necessária visão sistêmica, à medida que seu conhecimento se amplia. A importância do transplante é exatamente esta, com o contato diário, ao longo do tempo, formar a ideia plena do todo a partir das complexas partes que o constituem, propiciando ao graduando participar de situações e discussões que não são frequentemente abordadas durante a graduação.

Serviço social e transplante hepático pediátrico: o perfil sociocultural das famílias avaliadas e a intervenção do assistente social nas contra-indicações sociais para o transplante / Social service and pediatric hepatic transplant: the sociocultural profile of the evaluated families and the intervention of the social worker on the social contraindications for transplant

Introdução: Trabalhar os aspectos sociais que podem comprometer a adesão ao tratamento pós-transplante é um dos cuidados da equipe do Programa de Transplante Hepático Infantil (PTHI) do Hospital de Clínicas de Porto Alegre. O serviço social possui um protocolo de avaliação e trabalha em parceria com a rede de apoio do paciente pediátrico, otimizando a sua entrada em lista de espera para transplante hepático após o equacionamento dos principais problemas sociais. Objetivo: Traçar o perfil sociocultural dos pacientes atendidos e mostrar a intervenção do serviço social nas principais contra-indicações sociais para o transplante. Método: Foi realizada pesquisa documental nos protocolos de avaliação utilizados para avaliar 22 famílias de crianças candidatas ao transplante, encaminhadas ao serviço social no período de janeiro de 2006 a janeiro de 2007. Resultados: Os resultados mostram que 81,8% das famílias apresentam baixa renda. Contudo, o trabalho desenvolvido pela assistente social junto a essas famílias viabilizou que 90,9% das crianças tivessem seus nomes incluídos nas listas para transplante hepático. Conclusão: A partir dos resultados, torna-se evidente a necessidade do olhar social sobre a questão dos transplantes de órgãos, considerando a complexidade do procedimento e o perfil das famílias atendidas. Trabalhar em parceria com a rede social de apoio do paciente é fundamental para o trabalho social junto a famílias de baixa renda, que somam a essa condição a ausência de saúde e a indicação de transplante.

Background: To find solutions for the social problems that could hinder compliance with posttransplant treatment is one of the concerns of the Program of Pediatric Hepatic Transplant (PTHI) from Hospital de Clínicas of Porto Alegre. The social service team uses an evaluation protocol and works along with a support network for pediatric patients, optimizing their inclusion on the waiting list for hepatic transplant after evaluation of the main social problems. Objective: To provide information on the sociocultural profile of the families and to present the intervention of the social service team on the main social contraindication for transplant. Methods: The protocols used to evaluate 22 families of young candidates for transplant who were referred to social service between January 2006 and January 2007 were reviewed. Results: The results showed that despite the low income of 81.8% of the families, the work done by the social service team enabled 90.0% of the children to be included on the waiting list for hepatic transplant. Conclusion: Based on the results, the need of a social intervention on the aspects related to organ transplantation becomes evident, considering the complexity of the procedure and the profile of the families. Working in partnership with a social support network is vital for the social work involving low-income families who, in addition to the economic difficulties, have to deal with poor health and transplant indication.