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Med-e-Tel – The International eHealth, Telemedicine and Health ICT Forum, 05-07.04.2017, Luxembourg..

This is the conference of the International Society for Telemedicine and E-health – IsfTeH. This year it was the 15th jubilee edition of this meeting. Med-e-tel has been organized since 2002. The main purpose of IsfTeH is to make sharing of experience and knowledge in telemedicine and e-health easier and provide access to experts’ opinions in this field. Since 2016 ass. prof. Piotr Skarżyński has been a member of the board of this association. A lot of workgroups from different fields of medicine are working within the association. Med-e-tel is one of the instruments that helps IsfTeH in realizing all their missions. Each of workgroups can emphasize their achievements during special sessions concentrated on special fields of interest.
The Med-e-Tel 2017 conference program has largely covered the presentation of practical issues and daily telemedicine experience among doctors, nurses, midwives, pharmacists, IT professionals and patients themselves.
On April 6, a session on teleaudiological issues was held. The greatest achievements in this area were presented by the team from the World Hearing Center and the Institute of Sensory Organs. The moderator of the session was the chairman of the teleaudiological working group – ass. prof. Piotr Henryk Skarżyński, who at the same time introduced lectures on teleaudiology, talking about new challenges and solutions which have been successfully applied in Polish audiology for years.

In the latest edition of the monthly magazine “Życie Olsztyna”, an article on the topic of tinnitus was published. Ass. prof. Piotr Henryk Skarżyński, MD gave an interview in which we will learn how to diagnose tinnitus and what treatment for this ailment is. The article can be found in the printed version of “Nowe Życie Olsztyn” No. 7 (202) 2017 or in electronic version available at: <a href=”http://zycieolsztyna.pl/wp-content/uploads/2017/04/NZO-040117.pdf”>http://zycieolsztyna.pl/wp-content/uploads/2016/10/NZO-100116.pdf</a> and under the link: <a href=”http://zycieolsztyna.pl/?p=4993″>http://zycieolsztyna.pl/?p=4993</a>

Ass. prof. Piotr Henryk Skarżyński jointly with Prof. Henryk Skarzynski conducted a series of master class operations on the implantation of a new system of middle ear implant Vibrant Soundbridge with LP-Coupler. These operations were the main event during the International BONEBRIDGE & SOUNDBRIDGE Symposium, in late March and April – the first time in Poland and the third time in the world – at the World Hearing Center in Kajetany.

It was the world premiere in the clinical application of this system. It consists of the middle ear implant connected in an appropriate way to the patient’s own auditory ossicles. This is the system that allows you to not only model the hearing of a patient, but also adjust the amplification to specific loss at specific frequencies. It also gives you an opportunity to perform any radiological examinations. So far resonance imaging has been severely limited or required removal of the implant.

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On 31.03-1.04. 2017 the third in the world and the first in Poland International BONEBRIDGE & SOUNDBRIDGE Symposium was held at the World Hearing Center in Kajetany.

It is a periodic meeting of the world’s leading specialists in the field of otosurgery, audiology and biomedical engineering, especially in the field of hearing implants. More than 200 top specialists from all over the world took part in all sessions. It was the largest international platform for exchanging experience and knowledge on implantation capabilities using Vibrant Soundbridge and Bonebridge hearing implant technologies, proper surgical techniques, applications, audiological aspects, and limitations to the implementation of individual devices.

Ass. prof. Piotr H. Skarżyński took active part in the round table discussion on Bonebridge implantation and presented practical experience gained during numerous implantations of this system. There was a vivid discussion on the implant placement on cerebral meninges, such kind of operation is not performed in Kajetany.

During over 30 lectures presented on the symposium, the results of current scientific and clinical research, experience of experts from around the world and specific operational problems and surgical reports were discussed.

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During the 2nd Scientific Conference “Guidelines in Otorhinolaryngology, Audiology and Phoniatrics” under the auspices of the National Consultant in Otorhinolaryngology, ass. prof. Piotr Henryk Skarżyński delivered a number of lectures. The conference was held on March 9-11 in Zakopane, and more than 500 specialists from all over the country took part in it.

The most popular lecture was the one delivered by ass. prof. Piotr Henryk Skarżyński, MD during the session:”Cochlear Implants”. The lecture was related to the latest developments in the use of new types of hearing implants and new ideas for treating hearing loss. Reports on first attempts at robotic implantation which were presented by ass. prof. Piotr H. Skarzynski, MD caused a vivid discussion.
Robotics is one of the new directions in medicine. The first two treatments using specially programmed robots are to be carried out at the Otosurgical Center in Berlin, ass. prof. Skarżyński announced. In the remainder of the lecture he referred to an attempt to stimulate the optical auditory nerve and regenerate impaired auditory cells in a cochlea using stem cells or piezoelectric prostheses. As repeatedly emphasized during the conference, the method of introducing the electrode through the round window, which was developed by prof. Henryk Skarżyński, is atraumatic and allows to preserve the existing structures of the inner ear.

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Guidelines in otorhinolaryngology, audiology and phoniatrics is the most important mid-year event for professionals in these fields. The Patronate of the National Consultant in Otorhinolaryngology – Professor Henryk Skarżyński guarantees its high substantive level.

The conference took place on 9-11 March 2017 at the Belvedere Hotel in Zakopane. Among 515 participants there were a number of great authorities of Polish medicine – the conference was attended by prof. Ireneusz Kantor, prof. Henryk Kaźmierczak, prof. Janusz Klatka, prof. Krzysztof Kochanek, prof. Wiesław Konopka, prof. Jerzy Kuczkowski, prof. Marek Kurkowski, prof. Grażyna Mielnik-Niedzielska, prof. Jurek Olszewski, prof. Wioletta Pietruszewska, prof. Paweł Stręk, ass. prof. Wojciech Kaźmierczak, dr Leszek Kłębukowski, dr hab. Artur Lorens, dr Jozef Mierzwiński, ass. prof. Artur Niedzielski, dr Paweł Poppe, ass. prof. Marcin Szymański and of course its honorary patron – Professor Henryk Skarżyński.

A total number of 129 lectures and reports and over 20 hours of practical workshops were prepared for the participants. The most popular ones were inaugural lectures, including the presentation by ass. prof. Agnieszka Szczepek from Charite Medical University in Berlin, dedicated to tinnitus. A wide range of listeners participated in a series of lectures and workshops on rehabilitation of patients after implantation, including issues related to sound processors and the lecture by ass. prof. Piotr H. Skarżyński devoted to the latest world reports on this subject.

The growing reputation of the conference resulted in wide interest of commercial exhibitors for whom, as always, a professional exhibition hall was prepared. The products, services and medical solutions were presented by: Ronest, Qpharma, Oticon, Medbryt, Phonak, Olympus, Tactica, Sinutronic, Solinea, Laboclinic, Axfarm, Polpharma, Medipage and GNP Magnusson Medical Apparatus.

The organizers of the conference were: The Institute of Sensory Organs, The Institute of Physiology and Pathology of Hearing and The Society of Polish Otorhinolaryngologists, Phoniatrists and Audiologists. The co-organizer of the event was the Center of Hearing and Speech Medincus, and the media partner was The Practical Medicine Publishing House.

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Due to the great interest in the issue of tinnitus, ass. prof. Piotr H. Skarżyński, MD gave an interview on this issue to Practical Medicine. It was a summary of the First Week of Knowledge about Tinnitus.

During the First Week of Knowledge about Tinnitus, which lasted from 6 till 12 February, there were numerous actions aimed at disseminating information on tinnitus.

Ass. prof. Piotr H. Skarżyński, the director of the Institute of Sensory Organs and scientific secretary of the International Tinnitus Seminar and First World Tinnitus Congress, emphasizes that this subject should be of interest to patients but also to doctors. The action on tinnitus takes a big leap and meets expectations and the needs of patients and doctors. Therefore a compendium of knowledge on tinnitus was published. This publication was prepared by the Institute of Physiology and Pathology of Hearing and the Institute of Sensory Organs. The compendium has also appeared in a paper version.

A detailed article on this subject can be found at the following link: https://otolaryngologia.mp.pl/aktualnosci/158879,rosnie-swiadomosc-problemu-szumow-usznych

More than 200 professionals, including teachers, therapists, superintendents and educational staff members, participated in the Congress co-organised with the Olsztyn Board of Education. The event was organized under the honorary patronage of Agata Kornhauser-Duda, the First Lady of Poland. Ass. Prof. Dr. Piotr H. Skarżyński delivered two presentations on Central Auditory Processing Disorders (CAPD) and the introduction of the Stimulator of Polymodal Sensory Perception (SPPS) and the Senses Examination Platform (PBZ).

The Congress is one of the most vital educational events in the first quarter of 2017 organised in a close cooperation between the Orzeł Biały Primary School No.18 in Olsztyn , the Olsztyn Board of Education and the Center of Hearing and Speech Medincus.

In his speech, Ass. Prof. Dr. Piotr H. Skarżyński referred to the hearing screening programme in children from rural areas, which was implemented in 2015 and 2016. The programme has revealed that hearing loss may concern up to 20% of the first-graders from Warmia-Masuria Province. Subsequently, Ass. Prof. Dr. Piotr H. Skarżyński described the fundamentals of ear anatomy and hearing physiology, bringing particular attention to the main threats to hearing capacity of children. The most important part of the presentation was devoted to CAPD, which is of interest to teachers and psychotherapists. These professionals are usually the first ones who both observe dangerous symptoms in a given child and who initiate the processes of the child’s hearing examination and subsequent therapy.

Additionally, Natalia Czajka from the Center of Hearing and Speech Medincus presented the Stimulator of Polymodal Sensory Perception and the Senses Examination Platform, general aspects of the two devices, as well as the principal aspects of therapy with the use of SPPS.

Ms. Ewa Łukasiewicz-Gołębiowska, the head of the Counselling Centre No.3 in Olsztyn, gave her speech on the new model for the implementation of counselling services (the original Polish title: ‘Nowy model organizowania pomocy psychologiczno –pedagogicznej’). Furthermore, Marzena Życzko, the principal of the Orzeł Biały Primary School No.18 in Olsztyn put forward the innovative idea of auditory-motor-cognitive exercises for any child (the original Polish name of her speech was ‘Słuchowo – ruchowo – umysłowa gimnastyka dla każdego smyka’).

Courtesy of GNP Magnusson and the Warmia-Masuria subsidiary of the Center of Hearing and Speech Medincus, the participants of the Congress had an opportunity to do a brief hearing examination.

Owing to the fact that the event attracted an avid interest, its organisers consider extending it Poland-wide, and discuss further collaboration.

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During the 4th International Conference of Otolaryngology, Audiology and Communication Disorders, held in January 2017, at the session devoted to otology, ass. prof. Piotr Henryk Skarżyński MD delivered presentations of four original works on new methods of hearing loss treatment.

The Emirate Congress of Otorhinolaryngology, Audiology and Communication Disorders has brought together specialists from more than 30 countries around the world. It consisted of 5 specialized workshops and 15 panels, during which about 300 lectures were delivered. In one of the panels on issues related to otology, ass. prof. Piotr Henryk Skarżyński MD presented four lectures which had great interest among the present participants.

In the first presentation there were introduced, the results of patients of different age, who according to the classification of deafness as proposed by Prof. Henryk Skarżyński, were included in the group of Electro-Natural Stimulation (PDT-ENS). Another work included the description of one of the most extensive materials in the world containing results of BAHA Attract patients. The third article outlined the results of patients with a Bonebridge implant system obtained during six months of rehabilitation. Last but not least was the evaluation of the latest couplers used during Vibrant Soundbridge (VSB) implantation. Particular attention has been paid to the benefits of direct round window stimulation as an optimal surgical solution, taking into account the individual anatomy of the patient.