Sheikh Khalifa Medical City (SKMC), managed by Cleveland Clinic, organizes the second annual transplantation symposium on 5 ‘&’ 6 November 2010 at the Park Rotana Hotel, Abu Dhabi.
SKMC is part of the SEHA HealthSystem and is owned and operated by Abu Dhabi Health Services Company PJSC (SEHA), which is responsible for the curative activities of all the public hospitals and clinics in the Emirate of Abu Dhabi.
The target audience on the first day of the symposium is nursing personnel only who have special interest in transplantation care and organ donation, while the second day is geared towards physicians and other healthcare professionals who are also interested in transplantation care and organ donation.
The number of dialysis nurses from all UAE Dialysis Units who are currently registered to attend the nursing session exceeds 375 nurses. On the other hand, 180 physicians from the UAE and the region are expected to attend the second day.
The nursing session, accredited for 5.5 hours of Continuous Medical Education (CME), comprises 14 different presentations that cover all essential topics in the field of transplantation from a nursing perspective.
It will discuss the Islamic view of organ transplantation and donation, brain death law, transplant from deceased donors, multi-organ cadaveric retrieval, laparoscopic donation surgery, fertility post transplantation, and herbal remedies and medications for organs’ recipients.
This nursing meeting aims to highlight the role of nurses in transplant and their support of their medical team. Their support, in fact, is considered vital and reflects their commitment and dedication to patient safety. Additionally, their support helps develop the best standard of healthcare services for the UAE Community.
On the other hand, the physicians’ day is accredited for 5 hours of Continuous Medical Education (CME). Different topics will also be discussed by experts from SKMC and the Cleveland Clinic.
Dr. Abrar Khan, director of transplantation ‘&’ hepatobiliary surgery at SKMC will introduce the efforts and the results of the transplantation department at SKMC. Dr. Ali Al Obaidli, Chief Clinical Officer at SEHA and consultant nephrology ‘&’ transplantation at SKMC will talk about deceased donation in the UAE.
Moreover, interventional radiology in transplantation, laparoscopic donation surgery, brain death and pediatric liver transplantation will also be presented. Other experts from King’s College, London, will discuss hepatocellular carcinoma and the assessments of liver fibrosis in patients post liver transplantation.
Other topics will include the structuring of an organ procurement organization and how to establish one in the GCC presented by experts from the Center for Donation ‘&’ Transplant (CDT) in New York, and the Kuwait Organ Procurement (KOP) in Kuwait.
Liver transplantation and hepatobiliary surgery is an important component of a multi-organ transplant program. The surgical expertise in liver transplantation is a great asset as it allows surgeons to perform complex hepatobiliary surgery. Dr. John Fung, chair of transplantation and general surgery at Cleveland Clinic will discuss techniques evolution in liver transplantation.
Dr. Abrar Khan said, “I believe this symposium will be well received by the physicians and nurses. This unique and important symposium illustrates SKMC’s commitment to state-of-the-art treatment, the promotion of CME and transplantation in the Emirate of Abu Dhabi and the UAE.
” Dr. Khan further stated, “We have come a long way since February 2008, when we did our first kidney transplant. Since then, we have preformed 35 kidney transplants with outcomes that are as good as or better than internationally published results; 2 of which were for children below 10 years of age. ”
WAM