Uniportal lobectomy in Africa: a beginning

Area of Science:

• Thoracic Surgery
• Minimally Invasive Procedures

Background:

• Establishing advanced surgical training programs is crucial for healthcare development.
• Limited access to specialized surgical training can hinder the adoption of new techniques.

Purpose of the Study:

• To report the inaugural uniportal wet lab in South Africa.
• To assess the feasibility and impact of introducing thoracoscopic programs.

Main Methods:

• Conducted a multi-center wet lab simulation involving live surgery.
• Included lobectomies and other video-assisted thoracic surgery procedures.
• Four university centers participated in the initial phase.

Main Results:

• Successfully initiated thoracoscopic programs across all four participating university centers.
• Demonstrated the effectiveness of the wet lab model for surgical training.
• Laid the groundwork for program expansion.

Conclusions:

• The uniportal wet lab effectively facilitated the introduction of thoracoscopic surgery programs.
• Expansion to other South African centers and neighboring countries (Namibia, Botswana) is planned.
• This initiative represents a significant step in advancing thoracic surgical training in the region.