ISKSAA ITALY TRAVELLING FELLOWSHIP 2022

ISKSAA Fellowship Report – Cervesi Hospital, Cattolica, Italy

I am expressing my deepest gratitude to Dr Pushpinder Singh Bajaj, Dr Lalit Maini and the entire team at ISKSAA for allowing me to explore the opportunity thereof and for choosing me for the stellar ISKSAA Fellowship 2022 in Ospedale Cervesi, Cattolica, Italy in the Department of - Shoulder & Elbow Arthroscopy and Arthroplasty.

I completed my Arthroscopy and Sports medicine fellowship in India and have been a practitioner of shoulder & knee arthroscopy for the last five years. As I identified a need to further upgrade my skill-set and knowledge in the field, I chose this esteemed institute, given the volume of shoulder surgeries that it has on its record. Ospedale Cervesi, Cattolica, Italy is a renowned ECSES (EUROPEAN CERTIFICATION OF SHOULDER & ELBOW SURGEONS) teaching center and a referral hospital, headed by Dr Paolo Paladini.

I made a visit to the Department of Shoulder and Elbow Surgery in Ospedale Cervesi, Cattolica headed by Dr Paolo Palladini Sir. It was a privilege to meet Prof Dr Palladini, who is a true gentleman in all respects, a mentor with unmatched experience and of course, a surgeon par excellence. He introduced me to his team and the department and directly took me to the theatre.

Due to the large influx of patients at Cervesi, I could witness a great range of advanced shoulder surgeries while my training was ongoing. Some of these were arthroscopic rotator cuff repair, Bankarts repair, SLAP repair, remplissage including SCR with Latissimus dorsi. I was also thrilled to experience and assist with open procedures like shoulder arthroplasty (reverse and anatomic), mini open cuff repair and Latarjet. In the two weeks of intense training and gaining knowledge, I was also able to visit their clinics and observe them while a large number of upper limb patients would walk in for examination.

My fellowship coordinator, Dr. Paolo Paladini has always been a very warm, approachable and an encouraging individual. With qualities like humility and attention to detail, Dr. Paladini has not only been a meticulous surgeon but also an impactful teacher. His teachings throughout the fellowship program have been invaluable. Other team members - including Dr. Giovanni Merolla, Dr. Marco Saporito, Dr. Francesco Fauci, Dr. Carlo Alberto Augusti and Dr. Giuseppe Marcana have all been very kind with their inputs and I am grateful to each of them. The entire team at Ospedale Cervesi is very approachable and leaves me with great memories to cherish, along with precious learnings for life. I have not only gained academically, but also socially. This is definitely a highly recommended fellowship for anyone keen on mastering shoulder surgeries.

Dr. Saumya Agarwal
MS Ortho, DNB Ortho, MNAMS
Asst. Prof RNT Medical College,
Udaipur