Frontline online surgical course for Ukraine

Training healthcare workers in Ukraine: In response to the Russian invasion of Ukraine, our Co-Founder David Nott rapidly condensed his 30 years of frontline experience into a 12-hour surgical online course for healthcare professionals in need. Over 570 attendees joined us, learning innovative skills that will help them save lives as the devastation continues to unfold.

To ensure healthcare professionals in Ukraine are best prepared for complex war injuries, the course included triage, damage control, burns, cardiothoracic, orthopaedic, paediatric, and plastic surgery sessions. Former Consultant Surgeon and pioneer of surgical advances in Ukraine, Henry Marsh, led the neurosurgery session of the course.

Attendees learned a range of unique skills that can be used when faced with limited resources, such as how to create make-shift pelvic binders and deciding when to operate when a CT scanner is not present.

Vadim Corjos, a General Surgeon from Ukraine, said:

“The Foundation’s surgical training course in essence is the fullest and deepest course for surgeons who are in war zones. Providing this course for [Ukrainian] surgeons gives a very good base to save more lives in war and conflict areas. I have no words to appreciate this great effort. Thank you and God bless.”

Henry Marsh CBE FRCS, Former Consultant Neurosurgeon at St George’s Hospital and co-trainer on the course, said:

“I hope and pray that my Ukrainian friends and colleagues will not need to apply all that they learn from the David Nott Foundation webinar.

But we must do what we can to prepare them for the possible horrors ahead as Russia continues with its evil and murderous invasion.”

In response to the Ukrainian crisis, our Co-Founder David Nott and Former Consultant Surgeon at St George’s Hospital Henry Marsh joined forces to deliver a 12-hour surgical training course to over 570 healthcare professionals on Saturday 5^th March.

After the Russian invasion of Ukraine, David Nott rapidly developed a surgical training course for doctors who are working, or will work, to save lives in Ukraine as the devastation continues to unfold.

David condensed our 5-day surgical training course into a comprehensive 12-hour course online. To ensure healthcare professionals in Ukraine are best prepared for complex war injuries, the course included triage, damage control, burns, cardiothoracic, orthopaedic, paediatric, and plastic surgery sessions. Former Consultant Surgeon and pioneer of surgical advances in Ukraine, Henry Marsh, led the neurosurgery session of the course.

The attendees learned a range of skills that can be used when faced with limited resources, from learning how to create make-shift pelvic binders to knowing when to operate without a CT scanner.

Vadim Corjos, a General Surgeon from Ukraine based in the UK, said:

“(The David Nott Foundation surgical training course) in essence is the fullest and deepest course for surgeons who are in war zones. Providing this course for (Ukrainian) surgeons gives a very good base to save more lives in war and conflict areas. I have no words to appreciate this great effort. Thank you and God bless.”

David Nott OBE FRCS, Consultant Surgeon at St Mary’s Hospital and our Co-Founder, said:

“At the frontline of conflict zones are medical teams working tirelessly in often under-resourced and ill-equipped hospitals. Many have never experienced traumatic war injuries.

When the crisis unfolded in Ukraine, we knew we had to spring into action and condense my 25 years of war surgery experience on the frontline into a 12-hour course for those in need.”

Henry Marsh CBE FRCS, Former Consultant Neurosurgeon at St George’s Hospital, said:

“I hope and pray that my Ukrainian friends and colleagues will not need to apply all that they learn from the David Nott Foundation webinar.

But we must do what we can to prepare them for the possible horrors ahead as Russia continues with its evil and murderous invasion.”