Senior Physician Speaker Series
Curated and hosted by Sam Yared, MD
Topic: How Louisville Influenced Hand Surgery Around the World Guest Speaker: Luis Scheker, MD
Images provided by Luis R. Scheker, MD, Aptis Medical
At the October meeting of the Senior Physicians Committee, Dr. Sam Yared, chair, introduced Dr. Luis Scheker, MD, Associate Clinical Professor of Surgery( Plastic and Reconstructive) at the University of Louisville and Assistant Consulting Professor of Surgery at Duke University.
A History of Innovation
For Dr. Scheker, the history of hand surgery is also the history of innovation: one advance building on another, physicians challenging what was thought possible and generations of surgeons learning from those who came before them.
Much of that story, he says, can be traced back to Louisville. He reflected on the evolution of hand surgery and the physicians whose work helped establish Louisville as an international center for the specialty.
“ The hand really is an extension of the brain,” he said.“ If you had the opportunity to practice part of that or you have been a patient of that, you see how important the hand is.”
The field has come a long way. Dr. Scheker traced its development from ancient amputations and rudimentary splints through breakthroughs in anatomy, anesthesia, antisepsis and surgical technique. Advances in microscopy and microsurgery eventually opened new possibilities for reconstructing damaged hands and restoring function.
People Who Thought Differently But technology alone does not explain the progress. For Dr. Scheker, the story is also about people, and Louisville physicians who were willing to think differently.
Among them was the pioneering Dr. Harold Kleinert, whose work in flexor tendon repair helped establish Louisville as a destination for surgeons from around the world. Dr. Kleinert’ s techniques were initially met with skepticism, so much so that a committee of prominent surgeons traveled to Louisville to independently evaluate his results.
After reviewing Dr. Kleinert’ s patients, the committee validated his work. The impact was significant. Surgeons began traveling to Louisville not only to learn microsurgery, but to study new approaches to tendon repair, reconstruction and complex hand injuries.
Dr. Kleinert understood that his greatest contribution was not simply the procedures he developed, but the physicians he trained.
“ As teachers, we believe that we will only succeed if our students become far better than their mentors,” Dr. Kleinert said.“ Only in this way will each generation be able to further advance the discipline of hand surgery.”
Dr. Scheker saw that philosophy play out firsthand. Over the years, Louisville became home to a remarkable collection of surgeons and researchers whose work expanded the boundaries of what could be done for patients with devastating injuries. Their contributions included advances in replantation, microsurgery, tendon repair, tissue reconstruction and transplantation.
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