Letterkenny University Hospital leading Emergency Surgery Research

As part of the Centre for Personalised Medicine, Letterkenny University Hospital (LUH) is working with Altnagelvin Hospital, Ulster University and Letterkenny Institute of Technology to improve the treatment and care of patients requiring emergency surgery.

The Centre for Personalised Medicine is an EU funded project bringing together 14 academic healthcare providers and partners to develop practical solutions to ensure that patients get the right treatment at the right time. The Centre for Personalised Medicine was awarded €8.6m from the EU’s INTERREG VA Programme to carry out this research and the project is being co-ordinated by Ulster University.

‘Personalised Medicine’ is a move away from the traditional one-size-fits-all approach to treating patients and instead uses genomics testing, technology/computing and intelligence systems to deliver a more targeted approach according to each patient’s needs.

The Centre for Personalised Medicine is looking at research in five areas which would benefit from interdisciplinary academic and commercial cross-border expertise and collaboration. In addition to the emergency surgery research, the other areas being researched are heart disease, acute kidney injury, diabetes care and diagnosing dementia.

Speaking of the significance of the research into emergency surgery being carried out at LUH, Mr Michael Sugrue, Consultant Surgeon said, “I am delighted to be leading the Emergency Surgery Research which we have named eSOAP (Emergency Surgery Outcome Advancement Project). Working with Mr Brendan Skelly, Consultant Surgeon in Altnagelvin Hospital, the project will identify the factors that lead to emergency surgery cases in hospitals.

“Using expertise from Ulster University, Letterkenny Institute of Technology and private enterprises we aim to redesign the clinical care pathways to improve treatment and care of patients requiring emergency surgery. The findings of our research will not just benefit patients in the North West but will be available for all hospitals to learn from. We expect to publish our research in 2021.''

Photo Caption:
The team at Letterkenny University Hospital carrying out research into emergency surgery as part of an interdisciplinary, cross-border EU funded project called the Centre for Personalised Medicine. From left: Clinical Lead, Mr Michael Sugrue, Consultant Surgeon; Director of Research, Dr Randal Parlour; Clinical Research Nurses Louise Flanagan, Carol-Ann Walker and Alison Johnston; and Administrative Co-ordinator, Donna Sweeney.