BARIAlink

BARIAlink is a new concept to create a network of skilled surgeons to teach surgical excellence. The primary aim and purpose of the Academy is to share and to discuss, on a high professional level, complex bariatric and obesity surgery cases with interested bariatric surgeons.

BARIAlink Academy Meeting

This meeting is a virtual classroom where we will share difficult revisional bariatric surgery cases from AZ Sint-Jan Brugge in collaboration with our colleagues from Dubai Hospital, Dubai, Özel Ataköy Hospital, Istanbul, Imdelda Ziekenhuis Bonheiden België, Clinica Rui Ribeiro Portugal, Cairo University Hospital Egypt, … and you all willing to join our meeting.

We will mainly focus on diagnostic workout and potential therapeutic surgical solutions of difficult (mostly revisional) cases. But also per- and postoperative problems or complications (with/without video clips) will be dealt with. We will discuss those cases, between colleagues – friends, on a systematic and professional manner.

BARIAlink Library

All the cases who were submitted and all the cases we’ve discussed at our BARIAlink Academy Meeting are commented and stored in a video library where you have easily access to. www.barialink.com 

Why BARIAlink?

Bariatric Surgery is a relatively new surgical sub discipline and is (still) increasing rapidly worldwide, both in total numbers of performed surgical procedures as in scientific interest; the latter demonstrated by the changing terminology into bariatric and metabolic surgery, and even into diabetic surgery.

As an uneventful drawback of this evolution ('growing pains of the bariatric boom'); questions follow offers and surgeons worldwide jump into this appealing new domain. The necessary teaching and training period that surgeons have to undergo to skillfully undertake and successfully perform these procedures have unhappily been too short or not been elaborated professionally. As a result (and for example) the Kuwait Ministry of Health banned, in June 2013 by a ministerial decree, bariatric surgery in their Kingdom since 'Doctors are not adhering to Global Standards'.

Besides that; there has been a very rapid change in preferred bariatric procedures the last two decennia with the nearly annihilation of once very popular methods as the lap band, BPD (bilio pancreatic diversion) or VBG (vertical banded gastroplasty). By this, a broad spectrum of redo- surgery including reversals, revisions and conversions becomes necessary, but they are technically more challenging and are accompanied with a higher morbidity and mortality. The successfully performance of the redo-surgical procedures requires advanced laparoscopic and bariatric surgery skills and preferably only have to been done in 'Centers of Excellence'.

Our institution - AZ St Jan AV Brugge -Oostende - and our center - Bariatric Surgery Center have evolved the last 15 years into a High Volume Bariatric Surgery center and a Center of Excellency with National and International exposure and recognition.

In 2016 we started the BARIAlink Academy to create a network of skilled surgeons to teach surgical excellence. The primary aim and purpose of the Academy is to share and to discuss, on a high professional level, complex bariatric and obesity surgery cases with interested bariatric surgeons.

How can I particpate?

Interested surgeons and other medical specialists can participate by registering on this website.

As an active center, you should attend from a hospital in a professional setting. You can contact Petra Tempelaere, Project Manager BARIAlink to implement the virtual classroom and to provide the necessary hardware in your hospital.

Mobile : +32 473 81 65 99 - Email : petra@barialink.com

As a passive participant you can attend the meeting via your PC, Ipad or phone after you are registered via the passive link.

Scientific Committee

The Scientific Committee revises the submitted cases. They decide if the case can be presented on a BARIAlink Academy Meeting or if the case will be inserted in the BARIAlink Library. They give advise to the presenters on the content of the case.

The Scientific Committee gives his advise about the integration of new active centers.

Click here for the next BARIAlink Academy