News
Wetlab user group has been launched
The WETLAB USER GROUP is free to join with the aim of helping to promote medical education and helping you get the most from hands on training and Wetlab's, we aim to provide up to date topics and techniques with the goal of letting you become the best you can be. This is very much a peer to peer facility so if you have an article or paper you wish to share with fellow members, please feel free to contact us.
- Be the first to know about forthcoming events and courses through the WUG Newsletter.
- Get discounts, like 10% off instrument sets.
- Get the chance to attend WUG member only courses.
- Have a record kept of your attendance on our Wetlab courses.
- You can get your paper published on both the website and possibly the newsletter.
- Get your questions answered.
- Its free with no strings attached.
Wetlab remote service expands cover
The Wetlab remote service has expanded with cases containing everything needed to hold a small wetlab event being recently sent to the following countries.
Canada, Egypt, Hungary, Croatia, Germany, Dubai, Lithuania ,Russia ,South Africa, Switzerland, Greece, Holland, Austria, Czech Republic, Poland, Italy, Israel, Spain, Sweden, Ireland and Turkey. Wetlab remote for more information click on "Structured Education courses".
Wetlab assists the inaugural SCTS University programme
Wetlab assists the inaugural SCTS University programme which was an innovation at this year's SCTS Annual Meeting and proved to be a highly popular.
The SCTS University concept is borne out of a wish to offer the SCTS membership an increased educational opportunity at the national SCTS Annual meeting. The programme is aimed at the entire SCTS membership, including consultant surgeons, trainee surgeons, and the expanding paramedical staff who are playing an increasingly important role in the delivery of cardiothoracic surgical services in the UK.
The ethos of the University project is to explore areas of subspecialty interest, and work in small learning groups with national and international experts within the specific surgical fields, to learn about the most contemporary issues that are pertinent in current day practice. The format created "Hands-On" and "Minds-On" opportunities to evaluate techniques and approaches, whilst allowing the delegates to share in the invaluable experience of the assembled faculty.
This year the programme was constructed to cover:
- Degenerative Mitral Valve Surgery
- Atrial Fibrillation Surgery
- Contemporary Thoracic Surgical Practice
- The Ross Procedure
The International faculty included Hugo Vanermen, Alain Berrebi, Jean-Louis Vanoverschelde, Michael Mack, James Cox, Nicolas Doll, Thorsten Hanke, Maurits Allessie, Valerie Rusch, Malcolm Underwood and Bill Warren.
The national faculty offered a wealth of experience and included many of the leading voices in the UK within the given educational streams;
- Ben Bridgewater and Chris Munsch led the degenerative mitral valve surgical stream, with chair support from Frank Wells, Neil Moat, and Graham Venn. These chairs were supported by a wealth of experienced national faculty and this allowed a high ratio of educators to delegates, thereby facilitating an environment of close and personal interaction with the assembled expertise within the workshops.
- Malcolm Dalrymple-Hay and Peter Braidley led the atrial fibrillation educational stream, with chair support from Sam Nashef, Steve Large, Steve Hunter, and Mike Lewis. Once again an extraordinarily experienced national faculty supported the workshops, allowing exploration of the contemporary issues relating to the topic, including wet lab demonstration of techniques.
- Rajesh Shah led the contemporary thoracic surgical educational stream which included Valerie Rusch and Bill Warren, and a very experienced national thoracic surgical faculty including Maninder Kalkat, David Waller, Juliet King, Ed Black, Ehab Bishay, Antonio Martin-Ucar and John Edwards presented data, and were ably supported by an extremely experienced thoracic multidisciplinary national faculty.
- Asif Hasan and Andrew Parry led the Ross procedure educational stream in which human hearts were used to allow delegates to perform Ross procedures, both as first operator and first assistant. This offered an almost unique opportunity for delegates to gain experience and education in this area of surgical complexity, with a faculty that also included John Pepper and David Anderson.
The SCTS University was over subscribed this year and next year will include 6 educational streams;
these will include OPCAB Surgery, Aortic Surgery, Ischemic Mitral Valve Surgery, Aortic Root Enlargement procedures, including the Konno procedure, and further Contemporary Aspects of Thoracic Surgery.
Consultant cardiac surgeon and organiser of the event Ian Wilson said "The support given by Kevin Austin and Wetlab, alongside the enormous corporate support for the project, offers a fantastic opportunity to develop an educational forum that is invaluable to the total SCTS membership.
More information on SCTS can be found at www.scts.org/
The National Wetlab Centre launched at Sorin UK head office
Wetlab and Sorin UK have teamed up to provide the National Wetlab Centre based at Sorins head office and Education centre which is located outside Gloucester just off Junction 11A of the M5.
The new facility is already the base for many courses some of which you can see on the “Courses page” of this website.
Along side special courses that are designed for specific delegates that will be offered by invitation only.
If you or your group would like to hold an event at the new national wetlab centre please contact John Bassford at John.Bassford@sorin.com.
The New training prospectus from Sorin has just been launched by Sorin UK and covers cardiac surgery, and cardiology for more information see the courses page on this web site.
Disposable wetlab stations open to a new market.
The much acclaimed disposable wetlab stations have just been exported to America for the first time and a small shipment was also sent to Canada where Stephen Murphy said “It's Fantastic”.
Kevin Austin Wetlabs MD said "I am so pleased that they are being found so useful in so many different ways. We have always supplied Europe but now to supply the North American market too is wonderful."
Launch of new web site aimed at patients getting ready to under go heart valve surgery.
It’s kindly sponsored by Sorin UK and covers all aspects of the experience for patients and their family.
You can visit it at www.heartvalve.co.uk
Wetlab at SCTS
Wetlab will once again be on the Sorin stand at SCTS. we will be available to discuss all aspects of your training needs both at the new National Wetlab Centre in Gloucester and those held in your own hospital there has been a recent growth in the number of hospitals opening permanent wetlab facilities within the hospital which while very useful present many new and unexpected problems.
Kevin Austin will be available to help guide and solve these situations with you.
Mitroflow 21 year paper makes interesting reading
Download this as a .PDF
Wetlab win Best NHS partnership of 2007
1st Nov 2007
Wetlab ltd were awarded the title Best NHS partnership 2007 at the Medilink WM awards . Managing director Kevin Austin said it was an honour to be nominated let alone win.
He also said that while we always strive to help the NHS in every way possible and provide hands on training free of charge to hospitals we could not do it without the generous support of industry and in particular Sorin UK who sponsor wetlab's cardiac surgery courses.
Best partnership with the NHS: Wetlab
(Extract from the Birmingham Post)
Wetlab nominated for awards
Oct 31 2007
A WARWICKSHIRE surgical training company has scooped two nominations for the Medilink West Midlands Medical Technology Awards - for innovation and its thriving partnership with the NHS.
Kenilworth-based Wetlab Ltd will find out tonight if it has won at an awards ceremony at Birmingham's Council House.
The awards were created to recognise the most outstanding business accomplishments of medical companies across the West Midlands.
Wetlab has developed hands-on workshops for junior doctors and surgeons, simulating real-life surgical procedures using living tissue, to save time and money for the NHS.
This innovative free service has been shown to accelerate training and improve clinical standards.
Short-listed companies had to pitch their business plans, expectations and successes to an independent panel of industry experts.
The winner of each category will go forward to the national Medical Technology Awards.
Par excellence
"Surgical skill assessment and training" by David O'Regan MBA,MD,FRCS C-Th
Note: PAR course is being run at Sorin
UK's new training centre in Gloucester on the 29th-30th Oct - spaces
are limited.
Wetlab partners with Sorin Group to bring wetlabs to you – in your hospital
Wetlab is pleased to announce our exclusive partnership for cardiac surgery support and training with the Sorin Group – a world leader in medical technology – which enables us to offer wetlab training facilities for registrars and junior consultants both locally in hospitals and in our dedicated wetlab at Sorin’s Gloucester head office.
Wetlab provides clinicians with all equipment, materials and tissue necessary to simulate and demonstrate the repair and replacement of heart valves and the use of conduits for coronary artery bypass grafting.
Previously Wetlab has enjoyed a long and successful relationship with St Jude Medical and we thank them for their support over the years.
Now we are looking forward to establishing an exciting new relationship with the Sorin Group, a medical technology leader focused on the development of products used to treat cardiovascular and renal diseases.
“We are delighted to be working with Kevin Austin and Wetlab Ltd, and to be able to offer invaluable wetlab training to you in your own hospital or at our permanent wetlab facility in our custom designed conference facilities,” commented Paul Homer, sales director, heart valves, Sorin Group.
“Our partnership with Wetlab demonstrates the Sorin Group’s commitment to continuous investment in developing and expanding our clinical training and support services.”
Wetlab believes that our partnership with the Sorin Group creates major opportunities for both companies to enhance and develop our training and support services even further, and we look forward to announcing more developments in the future.
The 5th City Basic EP Course
13th to 14th June 2007
The Basic EP course is a two-day course providing comprehensive 'hands-on' training in all aspects of cardiac electrophysiology, with a focus on practical sessions.
Download PDF
New site live
I am delighted to say that the new Wetlab web site is now on line. Jez from LightMedia has worked hard to finish the site and I hope you agree with me that it’s a great improvement on the old one.
Wetlab Questionnaire
new addition to the site is the Wetlab Questionnaire Our aim is to establish a complete picture of wetlab training in the UK however if your responding from overseas we are still interested in your thoughts and experiences.
As a little thank you for participating we will be entering everyone into a prize draw.
Finally I want you to feel that this is your web site so if you have any comments or news please send them to us.
If you have any questions please contact us: info@wetlab.co.uk