Mission statement
The Technology Committee was initially established in 1995 by Gerhard Buess and Andreas Melzer to study tools, techniques and technologies to aid European minimal access surgeons. Through the years, EAES has acquired a leading role in European Surgery, as minimal access and minimally invasive treatments have become widely diffused and represent the gold standard in most surgical fields. Thus, the technology committee has taken the responsibility to support innovation and to lead the introduction of novel basic and advanced instruments in terms of validation, instruction for a better daily use and patient safety.
As EAES has become a reference point for a multitude of surgeons and other specialists from different environments, from research centres to private practice, a balanced attitude is needed between cutting-edge innovation and daily clinical use. This responsible approach is fully represented in the committee’s activities and mirrored by the yearly activity that includes both breakthrough presentations and survey activities, as well as by the effort to deliver to the audience of our symposium a comprehensive overview of available devices on the market, evolving technology and future new devices. The committee interacts and cooperates with other committees and societies in fields of mutual interest. A clear example is simulation for the training of surgeons in minimal access interventions, where, as in the domain of the Educational Committee, full integration of methodologies and technologies are required. The Operating Room of the future, digital technologies, mixed reality, telemedicine, novel approaches such as robotics, NOTES and new energised instruments represent the daily interest of the technology committee’s members, opinion leaders and active researchers in these fields, committed to improve the future of our patients.”
Finally, a challenging but crucial part of our mission is to spread technology and minimally invasive surgery in developing and low budget countries and hospitals. We strongly believe that technology and innovations are not a luxury reserved for the privileged only.