This September 2024, 15 senior Australian and New Zealand consultant surgeons attended or observed operations to learn a new advanced technique to treat Pectus Excavatum: 5 hospitals, 4 states, and up to three operations per hospital. Under the expert guidance of Professor Kolvekar, both children and adults were treated using the innovative Pectus Up New Generation extrathoracic surgical technique.
Pectus Up is a unique, extrathoracic solution that avoids the pain, risks, and potential complications associated with more invasive “intrathoracic” standard of care treatment approaches: Nuss and Ravitch.
Professor Kolvekar, a globally recognized cardiothoracic surgeon based at St Bartholomew’s Hospital, is a pioneer of advanced, highly complex thoracic chest wall surgery, including Pectus Excavatum. His expertise was instrumental in training Australian and New Zealand doctors. By learning from Dr. Kolvekar’s years of surgical experience with the Pectus Up procedure, the surgeons are now better equipped to perform the new procedure with higher precision and safety.
The whistle-stop tour was conducted across the Australian continent, with patients treated in Adelaide, Perth, Sydney, Brisbane, and Townsville. The main operating surgeons for this groundbreaking series of procedures included:
- Dr. Ashutosh Hardikar – Royal Adelaide Hospital
- Dr. David Andrews and Dr. Joshua Goldblatt – Fiona Stanley Hospital
- Dr. Ian Nicholson – Westmead Hospital
- Dr. Nelson Alphonso – Queensland Children’s Hospital
- Dr. Harry Stalewski, Dr. Brendan O’Connor and Dr. Janani Krishnan – Townsville University Hospital
We extend heartfelt thanks to all the surgeons and their greater surgical teams for their invaluable involvement in this initiative.
This initiative was made possible thanks to the collaboration between Ventura Medical Technologies, the developer of the technique and manufacturer of the product, and Medigroup EBI, the exclusive distributor of Pectus Up in Australia and New Zealand. Medigroup EBI played a crucial role in organizing the roadshow. During this intense short visit, Medigroup EBI was able to facilitate the training of 15 Australian and New Zealand surgeons; that’s over half of those who had shown strong interest in learning this new procedure.
MediGroup’s CEO Chris Selwa commented, “We are delighted to work with our partners at Ventura, Dr. Kolvekar, and so many customers we are again privileged to serve, to have the opportunity to introduce another innovation that will improve the standard of care for Pectus Excavatum.”
Ventura CEO Lourdes Camp noted, “Starting with the initial concept of avoiding risks for patients seeking surgical repair for their Pectus Excavatum, we have been working with surgeons since 2014 to perfect this technology, and this roadshow marks another important milestone on the path to delivering this high safety standard to patients in other parts of the world, specifically in Australia and New Zealand.”
During the month of September, the roadshow not only changed the lives of the Pectus Excavatum patients who underwent surgery but also enhanced the medical community’s skills in treating this chest deformity. The surgeons who attended the sessions will be able to share their experience with other surgeons, ensuring that the benefits of the Pectus Up procedure continue long after the tour has concluded. It is expected that the impact of this initiative will resonate throughout the country, opening up possibilities for those who are affected by Pectus Excavatum in Australia and strengthening the country’s position at the forefront of innovative medical treatments.
Pectus Excavatum is a congenital deformity characterized by a sunken chest, which can cause both physical and psychological issues. Pectus Up is the most innovative treatment to surgically correct this condition in an extrathoracic, minimally complex, and very low-pain manner. The technique, which is less invasive than traditional methods, represents a significant advance in the field of thoracic surgery. By lifting the sternum and reshaping the chest wall in a single procedure, trials indicate faster recovery times and fewer serious complications, making it an attractive option for both patients and surgeons.
