Transatlantic Innovations: a new approach to international ideas and technology.
BACKGROUND
In April of this past year, Transatlantic Innovations brought a variety of organizations and industry together for an international exchange of ideas, new technology, and current trends in plastic surgery.


METHODS
The meeting was highly interactive and included audience response devices. The focus was on 10 major areas: (1) new surgical techniques; (2) composite allografts versus conventional techniques, facing the future; (3) interspecialty collaboration versus competition; (4) the business of plastic surgery, best practices; (5) the image of the plastic surgeon, branding yourself; (6) medical tourism; (7) publicity; (8) the regulation of innovation, U.S. Food and Drug Administration and European Medicines Agency perspective; (9) the future of plastic surgery, cutting edge technologies; and (10) applications and controversies in fat grafting. The meeting concluded with the 8th International Committee for Quality Assurance, Medical Technologies and Devices in Plastic Surgery Consensus Conference with the development of a consensus statement.


RESULTS
Through an interactive audience response system, additional questions and attitudes were asked of the audience and, in real time, international differences were identified, which led to further discussions from panelists. Responses were identified in three major groups: European Union, North America, and the Rest of the World. Responses and data are included in this article.


CONCLUSIONS
The meeting brought participants, industry, regulators, and educators from both sides of the Atlantic. The interaction of these groups in these outlined topics brought a unique perspective to the meeting and, in the end, volumes of data. We have more in common than we believe. It is our anticipation that as we as plastic surgeons move forward, we can use these interactions to help our own practices but more specifically the specialty as a whole.
Evans
Gregory R D
GRD
Orange and Los Angeles, Calif.; Gent, Belgium; Paris, France; Minneapolis, Minn.; and Munich, Germany From the Aesthetic and Plastic Surgery Institute, University of California, Irvine; Department of Plastic Surgery, University Hospital Gent; private practice; Division of Plastic Surgery, University of California, Los Angeles; and Division of Plastic Surgery, University of Minnesota.
Blondeel
Phillip
P
Marchac
Daniel
D
Kinney
Brian
B
Cunningham
Bruce
B
Neuhann-Lorenz
Constance
C
D003226:Congresses as Topic; D006801:Humans; D007391:International Cooperation; D013677:Medical Laboratory Science / Q000639:trends*; D019651:Plastic Surgery Procedures / Q000295:instrumentation*; D013518:Surgery, Plastic / Q000639:trends*