Department of Plastic, Reconstructive and Aesthetic Surgery

Our Department is the Reference Center of the Ministry of Health for Plastic, Reconstructive and Aesthetic Surgery, Breast, and Hand Surgery.  It is a teaching base of the University of Zagreb School of Medicine and a center for education in plastic, reconstructive and aesthetic surgery for all resident doctors in the European Union accredited by the European Board of Plastic, Reconstructive and Aesthetic Surgery (EBOPRAS).

In the Department, patients with all breast conditions that require surgery are treated. We are one of the best European centers for oncological breast surgery for breast cancer patients, including all breast cancer surgery, oncoplastic and reconstructive procedures.  We routinely perform primary and secondary reconstructions with artificial materials and microsurgical flaps. Many procedures in this this field were also developed in our department, as can be seen from our publications. Patients are treated by a Multidisciplinary Breast Cancer Team (MDT) with more than 25 years of experience. This MDT has contributed significantly to the definition of the National Breast Cancer Guidelines.   We also treat malignant melanoma, all types of non-melanoma skin tumors and malignant mesenchymal tumors. Our goal in treating these patients is to combine oncologic treatment with restoration of function and form, while taking care to minimize the impact of surgery.  We were the first to routinely use sentinel lymph node biopsy to determine lymph node status in all oncology procedures. Due to our expertise in oncology, we have contributed to the development of the European guidelines for the treatment of non- melanoma skin cancer in older people.

As a reference center for hand surgery and replantation, we offer all modalities of treatment for acute and chronic hand conditions.  We perform replantations of all body parts, especially the hand, surgical treatment of hand injuries, peripheral nerve surgery, fixation of bone fractures in the hand and wrist area, treatment of muscle and tendon injuries, nerve injuries and congenital limb anomalies. Our experienced doctors are also available for chronic hand problems in all aspects of hand surgery. We use microsurgical techniques for most surgeries. Even the most complex limb reconstruction procedures are performed by the surgeons in our department. Surgical and non-surgical treatment of burns that do not need require treatment a burn center, as well as the treatment of burn sequelae, are also routinely performed in our Department

Another recognized treatment that is provided by our Department is complex abdominal wall reconstruction, which helps patients with acquired and post-incisional hernias or other structural or functional defects of the abdominal wall.  Patients following bariatric surgery who require skin and tissue tightening through body-lifting procedures are treated equally well. Regenerative and aesthetic corrections of shape disorders fall within our scope of work, whereby we perform fat tissue transfer and other procedures of regenerative medicine.  Burns that do not require a burn center are also treated by us surgically or none-surgically, as well as burn sequelae.

A significant part of our work is also the cooperation with other units such as as cardiothoracic surgery, abdominal surgery, trauma surgery, maxillofacial and ENT surgery, with whom we work closely to restore the wellbeing of patients

We provide 24/7 on-call services for our patients in the emergency room, in the operating theater, and on the ward. Our Department is equipped with 24 beds, with additional ICU beds on request. We have access to two operating theaters in which we perform more than 1000 operations under general anesthesia and more than 1500 under local and regional anesthesia every year.

We offer healthcare professionals from Croatia and abroad comprehensive training in plastic, reconstructive and aesthetic surgery, observerships, fellowships, short and long-term educational visits which can be arranged in coordination with the hospital administration and the Ministry of Health of the Republic of Croatia. An annual exchange of trainees and young specialists with the Danish Royal Society for Hand Surgery has been taking place for 10 years. Three specialists in plastic, reconstructive and esthetic surgery from the EU have completed their training in our Department, returned to their home countries and are working successfully as plastic surgeons in Spain, Cyprus and Greece.

All our doctors, nurses, physiotherapists and other staff are educated in all aspects of the treatment and care of problems from the scope of Plastic, Reconstructive and Aesthetic Surgery. Good communication with patients and other colleagues has always been central to our Department. The entire medical staff actively participates in continuous medical education in the form of weekly lectures in the Department, national and international congresses and courses in order to keep abreast of the latest developments in our specialty. The expertise of our specialists has been recognized and we are often invited to actively share our experience and surgical techniques as invited lecturers in numerous national and international congresses and courses. Most of our specialists have a PhD in medical sciences, while the others and trainees are at various stages of the PhD acquiring process. Teaching at the University of Zagreb Medical School and other higher education institutions is a routine part of our work. We have four surgeons who have passed the European Board of Plastic, Reconstructive and Aesthetic surgery examination and have gained the title Fellow of EBOPRAS. Assistant Prof. Rado Žic is the past General secretary and President of the European Society of Plastic, Reconstructive and Aesthetic Surgery (ESPRAS) and current president of Croatian Society of Plastic, Reconstructive and Aesthetic Surgery (CSPRAS) and Vice President of EBOPRAS with more than 20 years of experience as an EBOPRAS examiner. We also carry out clinical trials and scientific work in our Department as well. The results are regularly published in peer reviewed scientific journals.

We all work as a team and our team spirit is constantly improved through several annual team building activities. Cooperation with each other, with other hospitals, with all departments and units in our hospital is our primary goal in order to ensure the best possible and holistic treatment for all our patients.