What’s your name and age?
Sebastian Florian Soppe, 43 years
Where do you come from?
Switzerland, originally from Germany
How long have you been an EHS member?
About 7 years
Describe a day work as a surgeon in your country:
In Switzerland, we have 50 hours scheduled every week so I normally awake around 5.30, on my way to work at 6 am and the rounds start at 7. For the rest of the day, the crew is organized in different rotating sections as there are OR, outpatient clinic, emergency department, and inpatient rounds. The day normally ends at 6 pm. After this I normally head back to the gym, cook, and have dinner and then a little bit relaxing time in the evening.
What is your favourite AWR procedure/hernia surgery?
Could sound a bit old school nowadays but I really love TEEP. There are so many specialised and really strong methods unveiled in the last years, brought to the surgeons mind and hands from awesome surgeons but at the end, in my mind, a really good TEEP is an absolute fascinating and satisfying operation.
Why is it your favourite procedure?
The feedback of the laparoscopic instruments, the layers you see when you are in the correct plane and the result after this surgery when the patient leaves the hospital the same day is extremely satisfying.
Who inspired you to become a hernia enthusiast/surgeon?
There are so many surgeons and people beside surgery on the way to be a hernia enthusiast. I had great senior doctors with maybe not too much patience but an open ear every night and day as well as a really good heart. And then there have been so many highly educated and experienced colleges like Rolf Hunkeler, Jan Kukletta or Uli Dietz, who always kick you to think outside of the box. Last but not least the two hernia societies as EHS and the Swiss hernia society SAHC gave me the possibility to take part in something bigger and make things better.
Please, give a small tip or trick to share for this or any other hernia procedure?
There are only two tips which can be enrolled over every hernia procedure. And yes, it sounds basic, but you always have to remember there two things, even if you think you are experienced:
1. Know your anatomy, every single details.
2. Stay in the algorithm. The algorithm always gives you the chance to go back one step if you loose your overview.
Have you attended an EHS congress, meeting, or course?
Of course. I visited the last 6 EHS-congresses in a row and every congress was awesome. To be educated about the newest and best techniques, bringing things further and meet all these different and really nice people is always one of the greatest work-related events of the year.
If yes, which made the biggest impression on you?
The character of hernia surgeons. We all know the prejudices about surgeons and yes, some are true, some are a little exaggerated. But hernia surgeons don’t fit in this box. They are „normal“ people and in the end, EHS and SAHC doesn’t feels like meeting colleagues, it feels like meeting friends, and some times a little bit like family.
What made it great?
The people, as I said. Its all about the people.
How can the EHS help you in the future?
EHS is a big platform to bring things further. EHS can not only help me, it can help everybody, from surgeons to patients. And also surgeons are getting older and becoming patients. So lets educate the young doctors we want to have in the OR when we are lying down and have a hernia to get fixed.
What is your dream for the future of hernia surgery?
My dream of hernia surgery is, to get this far, that we can provide safe, structured and payable access to education for every interested surgeon and therapeutical treatment to every patient in the entire word.
