Professor David Leaper’s work in surgery spans 5 decades in the United Kingdom. He has the Fellowship in Surgery of the Royal Colleges of Edinburgh, England and Glasgow; and the Fellowship of the American College of Surgeons.
He was Senior Lecturer in Surgery/Consultant surgeon at the University of Bristol (1981-1995), Professor of Surgery at the University of Hong Kong (1988-1990) and the University of Newcastle upon Tyne (1995-2004), and now Emeritus Professor.
in this Global Health Talk with Mike Lesner, Professor Leaper’s discusses surgical site infection, sepsis and critical care and the need for continuing surgical education and training.
Surgical site infections (SSI) is infection that occurs after surgery in a part of the body where the surgery took place. Surgical site infections are seen as the most common healthcare-associated infection, significantly impacting healthcare resources in the UK and across the World.
Professor Leaper speaks on needing ongoing good antibiotic stewardship to reduce the risk of antibiotic-resistant and emergent organisms. The pressures on administering antibiotics have led to tighter management and stewardship of antibiotics.
Accurate surveillance of surgical site infections is needed, to assess the precise size and cost of the known problem. This includes infections arising from implantable devices, which whilst rare can lead to significant complications.
in closing, Professor Leaper stresses the need for continuing surgeon education in pre-surgical optimization of patient health, especially where it is evidence-based.