Seville, October 2025 – EHS

A Week in Seville: Training with the Abdominal Wall Unit at Hospital Virgen del Rocío

Last October, I had the possibility to spend per week in Seville coaching with one of many main belly wall surgical procedure teams in Europe. From the twentieth to the twenty fourth of October, I joined the workforce at Hospital Universitario Virgen del Rocío, an expertise that exceeded each expectation each inside and outdoors the working room. The unit is led by Dr. Luis Tallón Aguilar, a surgeon with a research-driven mindset and a relentless push to refine and innovate affected person care. I actually felt welcomed right into a neighborhood of surgeons who’re genuinely captivated with what they do.

The week was primarily spent within the working room, which was precisely what I hoped for. The case selection was outstanding, from inguinal hernia MIS repairs with each TEP (Total Extraperitoneal) and TAPP (Transabdominal Preperitoneal) laparoscopic repairs, to extra advanced ventral and incisional hernia circumstances, utilizing posterior part separation together with Transversus Abdominis Release (TAR) — for big and complicated defects. The robotic platform added one other layer of enthusiasm, serving to significantly within the extra advanced circumstances. the place easy mesh reinforcement would merely not suffice.

Outside the OR we mentioned each case and surgical technique adopted relying on defect dimension, location, and affected person profile, at all times with a transparent rationale behind every resolution. I may witness the pre-operative planning discussions, the meticulous approach, the mesh choice, the dialog round long-term outcomes and recurrence prevention.

And then, in fact, there was Seville itself. A ravishing metropolis the place I may take pleasure in lengthy walks and runs and style a few of it’s culinary marvels like “salmorejo”. I left Seville with a pocket book stuffed with concepts to carry again to my very own observe. Every week very nicely spent — and one I might encourage any hernia surgeon to pursue, with the EHS Travel Grant making it extra accessible than ever.