
RNSH ENT Emergency Surgery Refresher Course
6th September 2025
Welcome Message
It is with great pleasure that we offer our 2nd Sydney ENT Emergency Surgery course on 6th September 2025. The course is the only one of its kind in Australia & NZ aimed at practicing surgeons and senior trainees.
With this course we will revise surgical approaches to common ENT emergencies encountered in practice including the:
- Neck – Approaches to neck trauma and deep neck space infections.
- Nose – Lateral canthotomy, external approach to anterior ethmoid, orbital decompression, SPA ligation
- Ear – Cortical mastoidectomy
This is a fast paced practical one-day course consisting of brief practical, interactive lectures and expert guided dissections on high-quality fresh cadaver specimens in the state-of-the-art University of Sydney: Skills Simulation Centre, located in The Kolling Building, Royal North Shore Hospital, Sydney Australia.
Each pair of surgeons will dissect 4 necks, 4 noses, 4 eyes and 4 mastoids in 7 hours – its very fast.
We look forward to meeting you in Sydney!
Warm regards
Nirmal Patel and Nicholas Jufas
On behalf of the RNSH Otolaryngology Head & Neck Surgery Department (Martin Forer, David Veivers, Andrew Wignall, Leo Pang, Justin Kong and Leba Sarkis).
Overview
The course involves a full day of live dissection on one side of a high quality fresh frozen cadaver specimen, and assisting another surgeon on the other side of the cadaver.
The RNSH ENT department surgeons will provide expert and detailed guidance on the surgical approaches and management of ENT Emergencies.
Brief lectures on the anatomy and steps of the following operations will be offered, including:
- Neck – Neck approaches for trauma and deep neck space infection management.
- Nose – Lateral Canthotomy, external approach to the anterior ethmoid ligation, orbital decompression, SPA ligation
- Ear – Cortical mastoidectomy
Participation numbers are strictly limited to 20 surgeons/trainees for this course.
Objectives
- To revise the operative anatomy and surgical steps for common ENT emergencies encountered in ENT practice.
- Practice the surgical skills of ENT Emergency surgery including cortical mastoidectomy, common rhinological and neck emergencies.
Target Audience
The course is designed for practicing surgeons and trainees who cover ENT emergency on-call at teaching or private hospitals.
Continuing Professional Development (CPD) Accreditation
The course is accredited by the Royal Australian College of Surgeons for 18 hours of CPD.
Course Directors

Clinical Professor Nirmal Patel
Otology/ Neurotology

A/Prof Nicholas Jufas
Otology/Neurotology
Local Faculty

Dr Martin Forer
Anterior Skull Base and Rhinology, RNSH Head of Department

A/Prof David Veivers
Head and Neck Surgery

Dr Andrew Wignall
Head and Neck Surgery

Dr Leo Pang
Head and Neck Surgery

Dr Justin Kong
Anterior Skull Base and Rhinology

Dr Leba Sarkis
Head and Neck/ Microvascular Reconstruction Surgery
Programme
Saturday 6th September 2025
7:30 – 8:00 | Coffee/ Tea/ Breakfast and registration |
8:00 – 9:00 | Lectures & Demonstrations – Emergency ENT Operations Ear – Cortical Mastoidectomy Nose – Lateral canthotomy, external anterior ethmoid ligation, orbital decompression, SPA ligation Neck – Surgical approaches to the neck for trauma and infection |
9:00 – 12:00 | Group A Ear and Nose Group B Neck Morning tea served at 1030 hrs on group switching |
12:00 – 13:00 | LUNCH and Group Photo |
13:00 – 16:00 | Group A Neck Group B Ear and Nose Afternoon tea served at 1430 hrs on group switch |
Frequently Asked Questions
Fees
What is included?
Venue
Transport
Accommodation
Testimonials from the 1st ENT Emergency Surgery Refresher Course – 14th September 2024
Excellent course which satisfied my needs and I will recommend to colleagues as a refresher. The fact that we had 2 specimens to dissect was a huge bonus.
Very practical for the working ENT surgeon.
Great course for my level (SET 2). Learnt a lot and enjoyed the dissections. I think I would have struggled to keep up as a pre SET registrar as the pace was fast. Thanks very much for organising.
Fantastic opportunity to wide exposure to range of ENT pathologies. Perhaps expanding into two courses (one for first time exposure and one for revision) would allow for more specific distribution of skill level. The instructors were approachable and great teachers.
Excellent refresher! Great facility too.
Contact Us
For course enquiries, please email [email protected]