Director: Professors Guido Costamagna and Co-Director: Professor Cristiano Spada
Introduction:
The WGO Training Center in Rome, the European Endoscopy Training Centre (EETC), is a comprehensive center fully devoted to teaching and training in digestive endoscopy.
The ongoing progress and improvement of modern devices generate new technologies which require a continuous training of the operators who work in the field of Digestive Endoscopy.
For this reason, there is a constant request for the training and re-qualification of medical and surgical specialists through advanced and highly specialized training courses.
The idea of creating a Center in Rome entirely devoted to the teaching of digestive endoscopy has its roots in the well established and long-lasting experience in training activities that have taken place over the past 24 years at the Gemelli University Hospital’s Digestive Endoscopy Unit. From 1987 to 2011, more than two hundred endoscopists have spent monthly to yearly training periods at the Gemelli’s Digestive Endoscopy Unit. Moreover, the same Unit has organized, since the early nineties, 227 courses on therapeutic ERCP with more than 1000 participants and an Annual Workshop fully dedicated to Bariatric Endoscopy now at its third edition.
A permanent structure fully dedicated to the purpose of teaching and training in digestive endoscopy was therefore the natural complement of this intense activity. The European Endoscopy Training Centre (EETC) (www.eetc.it), a comprehensive Center fully devoted to teaching and training in digestive endoscopy, was created in July 2003 at the Catholic University School of Medicine in Rome, Italy. Since its opening and WGO endorsement in July 2003, the EETC has organized 231 courses for endoscopists, for a total of approximately 2880 participants and 18 courses for nurses.
Main Objectives and Goals:
To provide a practical and theoretical training process in advanced endoscopic techniques.
To promote the implementation and diffusion of up-dated guidelines.
To support the knowledge and promotion of modern endoscopic techniques through hands-on training on isolated organs and/or electronic simulators
To promote reaching diagnostic and therapeutic algorithms of the main endoscopic pathologies based on evidence-based medicine by taking part in live demonstrations carried out by Experts and broadcasted from the Endoscopy unit.
To promote comparing various techniques and devices.
To promote comparing different experiences through interactive discussions with experts.
To support mutual exchange and optimization of the digestive endoscopy activities in terms of planning and management by comparing the different methods of organization of local Units.
Facilities:
The Center is a permanent structure fully dedicated to the purpose of teaching and training in digestive endoscopy and is in the Center of the Catholic University’s campus, close to the animal lab. The building has two floors extending over approximately 500 square meters. The heart of the EETC is situated at the basement floor: there is an operating theater with five working stations fully equipped with Olympus video-endoscopes, Erbe electrosurgical generators with Argon Plasma Coagulation, and medical gases, where trainees can perform on ex-vivo and mechanical models, under appropriate tutoring, a variety of therapeutic endoscopic procedures. Many different endoscopic procedures can be carried out on the isolated upper and lower GI tract of the swine by using the Erlangen EASIE model: polypectomy, mucosectomy, hemostatic procedures on bleeding vessels, APC treatments, self-expandable metal stent insertion, anti-reflux procedures, bile duct sphincterotomy and stenting, etc. If strictly necessary, the EETC is also fully certified and authorized to use live animals under general anesthesia to perform special procedures. The presence of a veterinary doctor specialized in animal care guarantees that all ethical requirements are fully respected. Additionally, trainees can practice with the Olympus high fidelity screen-based Simulator.
The basement floor also comprises the secretariat and the scientific direction office. On the first floor, an auditorium for 20 - 25 people, with updated Audio-Visual equipment permanently linked via Intranet to the Endoscopy suite located within the “A. Gemelli” Hospital allows theoretical teaching as well as live transmission of endoscopic procedures performed by the local staff or by invited guest faculties. A small, specialized library-meeting room and another room equipped with four personal computer working stations for individualized electronic interactive teaching are also located at the first floor. As a result, the EETC represents a unique geographical entity where all the steps of the teaching process that should precede hands-on experience on patients may be replicated.
Areas of Training:
Endoscopic treatment of upper GI bleeding
Endoscopic treatment of GERD
Colonic endotherapy
Esophageal endotherapy
Treatment of acute and chronic pancreatitis
Polypectomy and mucosectomy of the esophagus, stomach, and colon
Bilio-pancreatic therapeutic endoscopy (basic and advanced)
Small bowel diagnosis and therapy through traditional endoscopy and videocapsule endoscopy
Therapeutic diagnostic endoscopy of the small bowel
Principles and techniques of dilation and stenting of strictures of the GI tract
Courses on pre- and post-operative assessment of patients undergoing therapeutic digestive endoscopy dedicated to the nurses of our hospital are also carried out by the endoscopy nurses of our unit
Technology / Procedures:
The EETC has a learning room equipped with a fully integrated audio-video system connected to the Endoscopy Unit that allows live broadcast directly from the Endoscopy Unit to the EETC.
The hands-on dedicated room has 5 working stations with Olympus video-endoscopes, Erbe electro-surgical generators with Argon Plasma Coagulation, and medical gases. Erlangen EASIE model is used for training with ex-vivo models, and mechanical simulators "BoskoskiCostamagna ERCP Trainer" are used for ERCP basic and advanced training.
Training:
Trainees interested in courses and training period please email eetc@abcongress.it.
Contact:
Center Directors: Professor Guido Costamagna and Professor Cristiano Spada
Organizing Secretariat: ABCongress srl
Policlinico A. Gemelli
Istituto di Clinica Chirurgica
Segreteria del Prof. Costamagna
9 Floor - Wing B - Room 910B
Largo A. Gemelli, 8
00168 Roma, ITALY
Training Center Director, Professor Guido Costamagna.
An operating room in the Rome Training Center.
The WGO would like to give special thanks to COOK for their support and sponsorship of the WGO Rome Training Center.
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