Thoracic surgery in Palestine
Date
2021-10-19
Authors
Idkedek, Mayar Ishaq
Al-Qtishat, Bayan Fathi
Shaqqura, Bisanne Hamdi
Abu Akar, Firas Emad
Journal Title
Journal ISSN
Volume Title
Publisher
AME Publishing Company
Abstract
Thoracic surgery in Palestine ran across a significant shift in the past couple of years, moving
from performing all surgeries by open thoracotomy incision to the current rate of more than two-thirds
of surgeries being conducted using Uniportal video-assisted thoracic surgery (VATS). Thoracic surgeons
most commonly deal with lung cancer, followed by chest trauma, inflammatory or infectious diseases, and
congenital malformations of the chest. One of the most prominent strengths that Palestinian thoracic
surgeons have is their extensive experience in managing trauma and hydatid cyst patients. While the limited
number of thoracic surgeons, the complex referral process between governmental and private hospitals, and
the late presentation of lung cancer patients are considered the specialty’s weaknesses. Despite the challenges
that thoracic surgeons face, they aim to overcome them by establishing lung cancer screening programs and
enhancing the role of the primary healthcare system in order to achieve better outcomes in early diagnosed
patients. Moreover, thoracic surgeons are relentlessly determined to take part in global research and publish
their most notable contributions to share their experiences and prove that they can make a real change.
Finally, the authors emphasize establishing a well-constructed thoracic surgery unit, which also includes a
residency training program to ensure self-sufficiency in the future by having national graduates who will be
the leading providers and researchers.
Description
Keywords
Uniportal video-assisted thoracic surgery (uniportal VATS) , lung cancer , thoracic trauma , surgery in Palestine
Citation
Idkedek MI, Al-Qtishat BF, Shaqqura BH, Abu Akar FE. Thoracic surgery in Palestine. J Thorac Dis 2021. doi: 10.21037/jtd-21-1139