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03/27/2025 12:28

Emergency Congress in Aachen: international military surgeons and Ukrainian delegation expected

Susanne Herda, Swetlana Meier Presse- und Öffentlichkeitsarbeit
Deutsche Gesellschaft für Unfallchirurgie e.V.

    The Deutsche Gesellschaft für Unfallchirurgie (DGU, German Trauma Society) is expecting to receive international military surgeons and a Ukrainian delegation of doctors from 13 to 15 April. The occasion is the forthcoming 24th European Congress of Trauma and Emergency Surgery (ECTES), organised by the European Society for Trauma and Emergency Surgery (ESTES) in Aachen. The event brings experts together from all over the world.

    „Current topics such as the changed security situation in Europe and its effects on medical care will be discussed in meetings with the German Armed Forces, European military partners and the BG (German Social Accident Insurance) hospitals with involvement of the German TraumaNetzwerk DGU,” informs ECTES President Professor Dr. Frank Hildebrand, who is also 2nd Vice President of the DGU in dual mandate.

    The congress also expects to receive a large delegation from Ukraine, underlining the importance of international cooperation. The DGU has been heavily involved in the care of severely injured Ukrainians in Germany since the beginning of the war in Ukraine, with physicians making significant use of the structures of TraumaNetwork DGU® to ensure rapid and effective treatment. In an interview [insert interview link] with the DGU, Ukrainian Professor Mykola Ankin, President of the All-Ukrainian Association of the Injury and Rehabilitation (ASIR), states what he expects from the congress: „Our goal is to create a modern trauma management system, as Ukraine currently operates under a system that was established in the 1970s based on the Soviet model. We are actively seeking new legal and organizational models to develop our trauma care service. We are confident that exchanging experiences with leading European experts will help us define a system that will serve as a reliable foundation for future work.“

    The Ukrainians not only wish to gain knowledge but also pass on their experience. Ankin says: „During the war, a significant number of civilian hospitals were involved in treatment, many of which had no prior experience in handling such patients.“ Thus his advice: „Do not forget to invest in the education of trauma surgeons, as their experience and expertise play a crucial role in improving the healthcare system.“

    This is precisely what the DGU has been doing for many years – developing course formats that prepare orthopaedic and trauma surgery physicians for emergencies caused by crises and disasters. It is also why DGU Secretary General Professor Dr. Dietmar Pennig says: “Not only expenditure for Germany’s military defence capabilities is needed, but follow-up costs must also be taken into account – the healthcare sector in particular must be better prepared for emergency situations. The preparation work for the coalition negotiations has made it evident across parties that including the entire orthopaedic and trauma surgery infrastructure, with special consideration of the Trauma Network at federal and state level, has been recognised and should also be fostered.” Until now, the professional society and hospitals have performed preparatory measures in advance relating to crises, war, diasters or terror.

    An associated symposium on military surgery will also be held at ECTES, prepared by the Disaster&Military Surgery section of ESTES and the Emergency, Disaster and Tactical Surgery (EKTC) section of the DGU. The symposium offers a platform for dialogue about preparing for scenarios of violence, crisis and war. The international discourse with representatives from various nations and the military is to focus on supply concepts, education, training and further technical cooperation. Military surgical experience is playing an increasingly important role for civilian medicine in the face of global war and crisis situations, but also within the context of other disasters.
    “The principles of military trauma care are becoming increasingly relevant for civilian scenarios,” says external lecturer and Chief Staff Surgeon Dr. Gerhard Achatz. “Military surgeons have special experience with innovative techniques in emergency surgery, for example in pre- and intra-hospital haemostasis, with survival strategies in exceptional situations and for special and so-called multidimensional injury patterns. This expertise is of value for civilian trauma centres and rescue services,” explains the deputy head of the EKTC.

    Note for interested physicians:
    If you are interested in participating, please send an email to:
    GerhardAchatz@Bundeswehr.org and PhilippHube@Bundeswehr.org

    About ECTES
    ECTES is the international symposium of the European Society of Trauma and Emergency Surgery (ESTES), being held in Germany for the first time since 2014. The objective of ESTES is ensure optimal treatment algorithms for surgical emergency patients, from diagnosis to rehabilitation, at a European level by promoting fundamental and clinical scientific research as well as teaching and the transfer of clinical knowledge.
    ECTES 2025 offers a diverse three-day programme under the motto of “United diversity – facing the future together”.
    Over 1,300 national and international experts are expected to attend.

    Further information:
    estes-congress.org/general-information/welcome-note

    Dates and times:
    1) Joined session German Workers Compensation and German Armed Forces
    Preparing for crisis and war – Opportunities for civil-military cooperation, 13.04.2025, 2:00 p.m. - 3:30 p.m.
    https://programme.conventus.de/en/ectes-2025/program/sessions/19d0e9b4-5502-43a1...
    2) Joined session German Workers Compensation and German Armed Forces
    Return to battlefield – What is important? 15.04.2025, 8:00 a.m. - 9:30 a.m.
    https://programme.conventus.de/en/ectes-2025/program/sessions/9cfe8d5b-73cf-4360...
    3) Symposium on military surgery, 13.04.2025, 8:30 a.m. - 1:30 p.m.
    4) Industry symposium 6: Emergency surgery – Continuing education and training in Germany sponsored by AUC (Akademie der Unfallchirurgie GmbH), 13.04.2025, 12:30 p.m. – 13:30 p.m.
    https://programme.conventus.de/en/ectes-2025/program/sessions/31ab7f8f-16f8-42ac...

    Contact for enquiries and portrait photo requests:
    Susanne Herda, Swetlana Meier
    Press and Public Relations
    Deutsche Gesellschaft für Orthopädie und Unfallchirurgie (DGOU) e.V.
    Straße des 17. Juni 106-108, 10623 Berlin
    Tel.: +49 (0)30 340 60 36 -16/-06
    E-mail: presse@dgou.de
    www.dgou.de


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    Journalists
    Medicine
    transregional, national
    Science policy, Scientific conferences
    English


     

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