OUH surgeons lead first-ever Cycling Symposium across Britain
13/08/2018
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Mr Mike Silva, Consultant Hepatobiliary and Pancreatic Surgeon, and Miss Katherine Hurst, Academic Surgical Fellow at Oxford University Hospitals will ride the Cycling Symposium named #LetsCycleIt to raise awareness on the importance of patients' fitness prior to surgery.
On Saturday 1 September 2018 a dozen surgeons and surgeons-in-training on behalf of the 500+-year-old Royal College of Surgeons of Edinburgh (RCSEd) will cycle with Mr Silva and Miss Hurst on a seven-day bicycle trek from Southampton to Edinburgh. Oxford will be the first stage of the tour.
Keen cyclists are invited to take part too, by joining the surgeons and cycling part of the route with them.
The Cycling Symposium will also incorporate a series of surgical masterclasses each evening, run by the surgeons who have taken part in the ride. Topics of discussion include patients' cardiovascular fitness prior to surgery and RCSEd's anti-bullying campaign, as well as more specialist subjects such as infection prevention and 'never events'.
The team will set off on Saturday 1 September from Southampton and are expected to arrive in Oxford on the same day in the afternoon. They will hold the first masterclass of the Cycling Symposium at the John Radcliffe Hospital.
Mr Mike Silva said: "Poor physical fitness can lead to costly, yet avoidable, complications after surgery and there is strong evidence that improving a patient's functional capacity lends to better surgical outcomes.
"#LetsCycleIt is part of an RCSEd UK-wide education campaign to get patients exercising adequately prior to their surgery. A key aspect of the Cycling Symposium will, therefore, highlight the positive aspects of physical activity like cycling."
The #LetsCycleIt route will be open to local cyclists - both healthcare professionals and the public. The symposium masterclass in Oxford will take place in the George Pickering Education Centre (GPEC), Level 3, John Radcliffe Hospital, Headington, Oxford between 6.00pm and 8.30pm. Those who want to join in can register online for free beforehand via the RCSEd website.
The tour will then continue to Birmingham, Sheffield, Middleborough, Newcastle and Carlisle to arrive in Edinburgh on 7 September 2018 after a journey of almost 550 miles.