UKM Surgery Master Trainees Win Malaysia Anastomosis Tournament

By Rafe'aton Mohd Ali

KUALA LUMPUR, Aug 18 (Bernama) -- Two Master of General Surgery trainees from the Chancellor Tuanku Muhriz Hospital (HCTM) achieved remarkable success by securing first and third places in the Malaysia Anastomosis Tournament on Wednesday.

Dr Sarah Liyana Mohd Hisham, 34, and Dr Khairul Anwar Abdul Rahman, 35, both from the Cardiothoracic Unit of the Surgery Department at the Faculty of Medicine, Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia (UKM), won first and third place respectively out of 12 participants from the Ministry of Health and universities across the country.

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Cardiothoracic Surgeon and Senior Lecturer at the Surgery Department, Faculty of Medicine, UKM, Assoc Prof Datuk Dr Nur Ayub Md Ali attributed the success to thorough preparation, meticulous research, and effective guidance from lecturers.

“The achievement was made possible through adequate preparation and thorough research, along with learning from mistakes. Effective leadership from the lecturers, who provided clear direction, a positive environment, and constant support, ensured that the students could perform at their best,” Dr Nur Ayub, who is also chief supervisor and advisor to the UKM team, told Bernama here today.

He said that brainstorming sessions between lecturers and students, along with the ability to address issues through proactive discussions and experience sharing, also contributed to the success.

Dr Nur Ayub explained that an anastomosis is a surgical connection between two structures. It usually means a connection that is created between tubular structures, such as blood vessels or loops of intestines.

Participants in the competition were assessed based on their execution technique and the perfection of performing the anastomosis.

The competition, organised by Johnson & Johnson MedTech (J&J MedTech), aims to provide exposure to anastomosis surgery, as well as practical training to enhance the technical skills of future surgeons in Malaysia.

He said that in preparation, participants were given an intensive three-hour course via webinar by J&J MedTech on Aug 10, guided by former president of the European Association for Cardio-Thoracic Surgery (EACTS) and Cardiothoracic Consultant Prof Paul Sergeant.

With this achievement, Dr Sarah Liyana will represent Malaysia in the Southeast Asia competition on Sept 7 in Kuala Lumpur, where she will compete against six specialist trainees from Southeast Asia, who are also winners of the competition in their respective countries.

-- BERNAMA