Intercalary and geographic lower limb tumor resections with the use of 3D printed Patient Specific Instruments- when less is more.

Background: Primary bone sarcomas are associated with critically sized bone defects and require complete resection with negative margins. Recent advancements in health care have pioneered novel approaches such as the implementation of 3D surgical technologies. This study presents oncological and functional outcomes following tumor resections of long bones with the use of customized 3D-printed Patient Specific Instruments (PSIs). Methods: This single-center retrospective study is comprised of seventeen patients who underwent either intercalary (N = 12) or geographic (N = 5) resections with various reconstruction methods including allograft (N = 8), vascularized fibula (Capanna) (N = 7), and 3D printed customized titanium implants (N = 2), between the years 2016-2020. All patients were operated on with a 3D surgical workflow, including intraoperative PSIs, and were followed up postoperatively for at least 12 months (average 31.40 ± 12.13 months) to assess oncological and functional outcomes. Results: All patients demonstrated negative surgical margins, apart from one patient who had planned positive margins. Three patients suffered from short-term complications, and three patients underwent revision surgery due to graft non-union or pathological fracture. One patient suffered from local recurrence and underwent above-knee amputation. Three patients suffered from lung metastasis. MSTS at 12-month follow-up was 26.9.±5.87. Conclusion: Customized 3D-printed osteotomy PSIs provide surgeons with a novel tool for optimizing bone resection and reconstruction in long bones surgeries, thus minimizing overall tissue trauma and reducing the risk of damage to nervous and vascular structures. This study demonstrates that the use of PSIs has the potential to improve functional and oncological outcomes. We believe that this technique will become increasingly popular in the future as a widely applicable, highly accurate, cost-effective optimization tool.

WHO's emergency response framework: a case study for health emergency governance architecture

During COVID-19, attention was drawn to a lack offunctional governance frameworks for health emergencies. Routine governance structures were neither agile, nor flexible enough to operate with the speed required for urgent and coordinated action within complex and far-reaching responses. WHO’s Emergency Response Framework has significantly contributed to a stronger WHO response capacity in the European Region by providing accountabilities, responsibilities, delegation of authority, and rapid access to resources for response, while also allowing for participating members to be held accountable for their actions. We argue that now is the time to move health emergency management forwards by supporting States in strengthening their emergency governance architectures.

Drawing lessons on better governing for emergencies for improved resilience against health emergencies

The COVID-19 pandemic has taught us that preparednessfor and resilience against health emergencies is critical. To improve preparedness for health emergencies, the emergency preparedness and response governance architecture at all levels should be strengthened. It should be based on cross-cutting, whole-of-government, and whole-of-society approaches, moving away from siloed perspectives. Moreover, resilience against health emergencies should be based on universal health coverage and anchored in the International Health Regulations (IHR) 2005 core capacities implementation. Capacities and capabilities that are required to improve health services for national and global health security should also be strengthened.