Emergency professionals from Arnau de Vilanova Hospital are trained at CREBA in thoracic procedures

Seventeen doctors from the Emergency Department of the University Hospital Arnau de Vilanova (HUAV) participated last Friday in a practical training in thoracic procedures at the Centre for Applied Biomedical Experimental Research (CREBA). In the emergency department, a significant number of patients with different degrees of complexity and urgency suffer pleuropulmonary complications. Many of these patients require initial treatment with pleural drainage, an apparently simple surgical procedure that can lead to complications. For this reason, proper indication and correct technique are crucial to resolve various thoracic pathologies.

The course, directed by the head of the Thoracic Surgery section of the HUAV, Carlos Rombolá, was given by all the thoracic surgeons of the Hospital and by the assistant to the Nephrology Service, Felipe Sarró. The objective was to acquire skills in the placement of pleural drains, to learn the different placement techniques, the main instruments and devices for the management of drains and their possible complications. Practice was also given in the placement of percutaneous central venous lines, another common procedure in some emergencies. The course consisted of a theoretical part and an intensive practical part on anaesthetised pigs. The course has the organisational support of CREBA, the Emergency Department of the HUAV and the endorsement of the Catalan Society of Thoracic Surgery.