Basil Hetzel Institute for Translational Health Research conducts basic laboratory, epidemiological and clinical research at TQEH :: Centre for Surgical Evidence Assessment and Training (SEAT)

Overview

Welcome to the SEAT Centre – The centre of Surgical Evidence, Assessment and Training

This Centre was established in 2009 and is a designated surgical research centre of the Queen Elizabeth Hospital. The primary focus of this centre is to develop effective and safe surgical interventions, adequately evaluate them and then deliver them to the population, not only in Australia but ultimately worldwide.

For new technology to be safely introduced in to our health systems, appropriate evaluation and assessment needs to occur, combined with effective training programmes devised for the surgical teams. Such a system is necessary for all new surgical advances, however it is often lacking in our healthcare systems.

This centre will initially join together two clinical sites, the Queen Elizabeth Hospital and the Royal Adelaide Hospital, as major laboratories for the surgical trials and post-graduate teaching programmes that need to be developed in order to introduce new surgical practice.

AIMS

The role of the centre is to develop a monitored and continuous process to ensure that the following four stages are sequentially addressed.

Stage 1 is that of device development and technique development building on existing technologies, refining them, adapting them, and then developing them to the stage where they require clinical evaluation.

Stage 2 is surgical clinical trials. This is focussed on using the various surgical operations in an environment which enables assessment of safety, efficacy and cost so that it is possible to provide information to practitioners, patients, hospitals and governments as to the likely value and outcomes associated with each new surgical technologies.

Stage 3 will be to harness the existing surgical evidence that exists for new techniques, technologies and approaches in surgery and provide an evidence based framework on which decisions can be made, either at the early inception of the technology or as the technology develops and matures over time.

Stage 4 of the introduction of new surgical techniques, technologies and approaches is developing valid training and curricula. Without appropriate training, the skills required to gain the surgical outcomes possible cannot be achieved. To this end the harnessing of techniques of simulation, curriculum development and training environments need to be utilised in a way that enables the practice of surgery to be disseminated in a reliable, reproducible and verifiable form.

For example, if a new device is being evaluated at stage 1 and it is deemed successful, this will lead to a large clinical trial of the technology at The Queen Elizabeth Hospital and the Royal Adelaide Hospital (Stage 2) in order to gain enough participants for significant statistical analysis. Once its success has been determined via the clinical trial, it will again be confirmed using an evidence based approach (Stage 3), and then introduced in to practice (Stage 4).

Back to Top ↑

Student Opportunities

To view current student opportunities click here.

Personnel - SEAT Management Group

CIA: Professor GJ Maddern
CIB: Professor PJ Wormald
CIC: Professor GG Jamieson
CID: Professor RA Fitridge
CIE: Professor P Hewett

Professor Guy Maddern MBBS PhD MS MD FRACS

Professor Guy Maddern is the
RP Jepson Professor of Surgery
Head of Discipline of Surgery
University of Adelaide

Clinical interests

Hepatobiliary surgery

Colorectal hepatic metastatic disease

Minimally invasive surgery

Research interests

Development of techniques for liver tumour destruction particularly minimally invasive techniques capable of destroying both primary and secondary liver tumours by the insertion of electrodes)

Professor Robert Fitridge

Professor Rob Fitridge MBBS MS FRACS
Head of Vascular Surgery
University of Adelaide

Clinical interests
·        Most invasive forms of vascular surgery
·        Effectiveness of endoluminal stent grafting for abdominal aortic aneurysms
·        Outcomes in the diabetic foot and factors affecting wound healing in leg ulcers

Research interests

· The study of the role of matrix metalloproteinases in reperfusion injury following skeletal muscle ischaemia.

· The effect of inhibitors of MMPs on local and remote reperfusion injury is being studied.

· White cell activation in systemic inflammatory response syndrome following major vascular surgery is currently under investigation.

Professor Glyn Jamieson

Prof Glyn Jamieson MBBS FRACS
Dorothy Mortlock Professor of Surgery
The University of Adelaide

Clinical interests
·        Endoscopic surgery in the field of reflux disease
·        Oesophageal cancer
·        Barrett’s oesophagus

Research interests

· Upper gastrointestinal surgery in general

· Gastro oesophageal reflux disease

· Oesophageal cancer

· Development of columnar lined mucosa in the oesophagus, and its relationship to oesophageal cancer

Professor Peter-John Wormald

Prof PJ Wormald MBChB(Stellenbosch) FRCS
Professor of Otolaryngology
Professor and Chairman, Department of Otolaryngology, Head & Neck Surgery
Combined appointment of the Universities of Adelaide and Flinders

Clinical interests

· Professor Wormald has a specific interest in Rhinology and in endoscopic sinus surgery (ESS) and has a particular interest in frontal sinus surgery, CSF (cerebrospinal fluid ) leak closure, endonasal DCR (dacryocystorhinostomy) surgery, orbital and optic nerve surgery and skull base surgery. He has built a national and international reputation in this field.

Research interests

· Rhinology and endoscopic sinus surgery