What’s your name and age?
Fernando Ferreira, 55.
Where do you come from?
Portugal.
How long have you been an EHS member?
1 year.
Describe a day at work as a surgeon in your country:
Seeing and treating every patient with dedication either during simple procedures or of greater complexity, never taking anything for granted.
What is your favourite AWR procedure/hernia surgery?
eTEP Rives Stoppa with 3 suprapubic trocares to treat diastasis recti with multiple linea alba deffects in patients with a BMI < 23 and no skin issues.
Why is it your favourite procedure?
It is phenomenal to see the patient’s physical transformation.
Who inspired you to become a hernia enthusiast/surgeon?
As a young specialist I was very dedicated to critical care and started to apply damage control prínciples in all patients. I started to have a big pool of survivors with complex hernias which created the need for me to evolve and develop multiple AWR approaches!
Please, give a small tip or trick to share for this or any other hernia procedure?
Understand the navigation of surgical planes and revise these in cadaver courses, video reviews and when starting out convert early to understand where you are and how you got there!
Have you attended an EHS congress, meeting, or course?
A few courses, meetings and congresses.
Which made the biggest impression you?
Hamburg 2019 EHS Congress.
What made it great?
Seeing leading world AWR surgeons acting humble despite their achievements.
How can the EHS help you in the future?
Keep up its promotion of high quality surgical education.
What is your dream for the future of hernia surgery?
Reabsorbable mesh reinforced with stem cells.
