ABOUT THE DEPARTMENT
The clinic has 18 employees, 4 of them are support staff. The clinic employs 1 professor, 1 associate professor, 2 lecturers, 10 assistants (six of them in secondary positions). The clinic teaches the basic course of general surgery for MF students, surgical diseases course for OF students, surgical nursing for SF course students and first aid for MF, OF and VSF course students. With the introduction of problem-based learning in the Faculty of Medicine, the discipline of the basics of general surgery is distributed over five modules in the 2nd and 3rd year modules. The core course in the basics of general surgery is taught in the professional competence module.
During postgraduate studies, doctoral students and residents can choose programmes in the field of general surgery that are relevant to them. The clinic organises training courses for Lithuanian doctors on laparoscopic surgery, enteral nutrition, acute abdominal surgical diseases and hernias.
The clinical base of the Department of General Surgery of the Kaunas Clinical Hospital with abdominal surgery, coloproctology, vascular and purulent surgery sectors. The department has 45 beds. Eleven doctors working in the clinic have the professional qualifications of abdominal surgeon, 6 – general surgeon, 2 – vascular surgeon, 1 – coloproctologist and 2 – invasive radiologist. The clinic provides specialised third level planned and emergency surgical care for patients with diseases of abdominal organs, coloproctology and blood vessels. Complex operations on these organs are performed, including reconstructive colon, laparoscopic and endoscopic operations. The department treats patients from all over the country. The vast majority of them are from Kaunas city and Kaunas district. Over 2,000 patients are treated at the department per year, and up to 2,000 operations are performed.
History
According to the resolution of Kaunas Medical Academy Council meeting held in 1998 June 12, the II Surgery Clinic was merged with the Department of General Surgery and a new General Surgery Department was established. Assoc. Prof. D. Venskutonis was elected according to the competition procedure as its Head on 18 December 1998. After evaluating the prospects for the development of surgery in public institutions Kaunas 2nd and 3rd Clinical Hospitals and the conditions for conducting the pedagogical process, Kaunas 2nd Clinical Hospital was chosen as the main base of the newly established Department. Since 1999 September, the Department operates only in the 2nd clinical hospital of Kaunas.
The following have worked and are still working at the Department of General Surgery at various times: A. Adukauskas, Dr. J. Andriuškevičius, G. Aukštakalnis, Assoc. Prof. J. Babravičius, Assoc. Prof. S. Bradulskis, K. Balanaška, V. Daubaras, Prof. J. Dauderys, J. Dobkevičius, P. Jonauskas, Dr. J. Juočas, K. Kaminskas, Assoc. Prof. E. Kelbauskas, Č. Klimas, J. Kutkevičius, R. Minelga, A. Paršeliūnas, V. Pšemeneckas, Prof. A. Purtokas, V. Ruseckas, R. Šiugžda, R. Šleivys, L. Urbanavičius, Assoc. Prof. V. Vaškelis, Prof. D. Venskutonis, A. J. Venslauskas, G. Vislavičius, Prof. V. Zykas.
The origins of the II Surgery Clinic date back to 1920. One of the founders and first lecturers of the surgical discipline was Juozas Žemgulys. The first head of the surgical department and clinic was Prof. H. Boitas (21-07-1922 – 15-04-1926). He taught operative surgery, general surgery and surgical clinic. From 1926 to 1939, the department and the clinic were headed by Prof. A. Hagentornas. In 1939, the Council of the Faculty of Medicine reorganised the Department of Surgery into two: Departments of Faculty Surgery (Head Prof. V. Kanauka) and Hospital Surgery (Head Prof. V. Kuzma). The Department of Faculty Surgery was located in the Red Cross Hospital. In 1945, the department is transferred to Kaunas Clinics. Prof. J. Jaržemskas was appointed as the Head of the department, since 1961 – Assoc. Prof. J. Karaliūnas. In 1971, the Department of Faculty Surgery was transferred from Kaunas Clinics to Kaunas 2nd Clinical Hospital. Prof. J. Platūkis was appointed to head the department. From 1974 until 1998 the Department of Faculty Surgery was headed by Prof. V. Zykas. In 1982, the department was named II Department of Surgery, and since 1992 – II Surgery Clinic.
In various periods, the following worked at the Department of Faculty Surgery – II Surgery Clinic: A. Adukauskas, Assoc. Prof. J. Babravičius, Assoc. Prof. G. Barauskas, Assoc. Prof. D. Bumblys, Assoc. Prof. K. Jocius, A. Maštaras, Assoc. Prof. D. Pavalkis, Assoc. Prof. J. Platūkis, Assoc. Prof. A. Radavičius, Assoc. Prof. Ž. Saladžinskas, Assoc. Prof. Č. Sinkevičius, Assoc. Prof. A. Striukaitis, R. Šiugžda, Assoc. Prof. A. Tamelis, Assoc. Prof. D. Venskutonis, Prof. R. Žebrauskas.
Department of Introduction to Surgery and Operative Surgery from was led by Prof. J. Dzirnė from 1 July 1922. After the resignation and departure of Prof. J. Dzirnė, the department was merged with the Surgical Department and Clinic (Head Prof. H. Boitas). In 1945, the Department of General Surgery was established at the Red Cross Hospital. In 1945-1951 and 1955-1974 it was led by Prof. T. Šiurkus. In 1951-1955, Prof. J. Odinov, who was sent from Moscow, worked as the head of the Department of General Surgery. In 1970, the Department was transferred to the 3rd Clinical Hospital of Kaunas. After the death of Prof. T. Šiurkus, Assoc. Prof. V. Vaškelis, who worked in this position since 1974, was elected as the head of the department until 1986. Until 1993 the department was headed by Prof. A. Purtokas, 1993 – 1994, – Assoc. Prof. J. Pundzius, and since 1995 until 1998 – Prof. A. Purtokas again.
The following have worked and are still working at the Department of General Surgery at various times: Dr. K. Adamonis, Dr. J. Andriuškevičius, Dr. G. Bachmackis, Dr. S. Bradulskis, Dr. G. Česnauskas, Prof. J. Dauderys, M. Dubinskas, A. Genys, A. Jacynas, J. Jocius, Dr. J. Juočas, Assoc. Prof. E. Kelbauskas, V. Kondrackas, Assoc. Prof. R. Kuzmaitė, A. Liutkus, Dr. I. Marchertienė, A. Mickys, I. Oleka, Assoc. Prof. J. Platūkis, Assoc. Prof. S. Pranckevičius, V. Pšemeneckas, Assoc. Prof. J. Pundzius, Assoc. Prof. A. Radavičius, Assoc. Prof. V. Steponavičius, Assoc. Prof. J. Šošas, Prof. T. Šiurkus, Assoc. Prof. V. Vaškelis.
