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Obituary for Prof Marek Pertkiewicz
Clinical Nutrition 33 (2014) 185
Contents lists available at ScienceDirect
Clinical Nutrition journal homepage: http://www.elsevier.com/locate/clnu
Editorial
Obituary for Prof Marek Pertkiewicz
On 5th December 2013 Marek Pertkiewicz died, following a subarachnoid haemorrhage, that, despite prompt surgical treatment ultimately proved to be fatal. He had suffered from serious cardiovascular disease in the past, but it still came as a shock that somebody still so actively involved in everyday practice had passed away. Marek was born in 1947 and completed his medical studies in 1971. He then worked in the Department of General and Gastrointestinal Surgery of Warsaw Medical University until in 2003 he established there his own Department of Surgery and Nutrition. Marek was with ESPEN from its inception, and became more visible after the fall of the wall, when we came to appreciate fully the Polish group, especially Bruno Szczygiel, Teresa Korta and Marek himself. In the beginning he was a tacit presence in meetings, and only when talking with him directly did it become evident that he was a passionate patient doctor, heavily involved in dealing with those with abdominal catastrophe - one of the most difficult to treat groups of patients in clinical medicine. He spent time with Stanley Dudrick, also of Polish descent, with whom you could meet almost every year during the Polish surgical congresses and nutritionally/metabolically oriented symposia, where he was usually Marek’s guest. Marek was clearly inspired by him, but the exchange of ideas and views was surely reciprocal. Marek’s first formal activity in ESPEN was with regard to the ESPEN Basic Course, held annually in the “Eastern countries” starting in 1989, on a rotational basis in Hungary, Czechoslovakia (at that time) and Poland. It became clear to those of us who could attend those meetings that Marek devoted most of his life to these patients and their terrible condition, as evidenced by his knowledge and experience. In later years a much larger part of the ESPEN community, and people in the field more generally, came to appreciate his pioneer role, and the prominent part he played in the special interest group on Home Artificial Nutrition and Chronic Intestinal Failure, which had been established in the late eighties. This was reflected in his pivotal role in the multicentre trial addressing the role of Glucagon-Like Peptide II in intestinal failure patients: his unit recruited more patients than any other. In Poland he was for decades the driving force of the Polish Society for Parenteral and Enteral Nutrition (PTZPiD) that he had created
together with his colleagues. For many years he was President of the Society. He was also a member of the Polish Academy of Sciences, and clearly had a major influence on the education of Polish doctors in all aspects of malnutrition. Marek’s behaviour was typical of the man. Until quite recent years he was generally at the back of the congress auditoria, but also often outside these rooms or (for special and often political reasons) outside the venue altogether, along with his old, beaten, but indestructible, Nokia GSM, talking and talking. In the course of time we learnt that he was talking with patients, directly or about them with his co-workers in his special unit at the Orlowskiego Hospital. Some of us have had the privilege of visiting him there and making rounds with him, talking about his and our views on abdominal disease and how to deal with them. It was amazing to see that he ran the unit virtually on his own supported by a small team of associates and assistants. He (thought he) needed very little help from other disciplines, being a holistic doctor pur sang. We agreed that this holistic view was crucial to carry these patients through the ordeal of sepsis, diagnostics, drainage, waiting and waiting, and ultimately often the surgery in which he was so very skilful. But he went further than most of us in not only calling the shots, but being the one who got shot most of the time! Nowadays few of us can any longer retain this overview effectively, and really need colleagues to analyse ECGs, prescribe the best antibiotics, regulate diabetes, and .. to take calls. Those who remain are mostly retired. Marek’s approach and the importance of his unit made Warsaw a natural choice for the first international meeting on home parenteral nutrition. This was held in 2010 and rapidly established itself as a highly regarded annual event. Marek gave a special lecture during the second meeting (in London) entitled “The Polish Soul” in which he described a little of his own background, his professional ethos, and the struggles to achieve good results for patients, not without a good dose of humour, and instructions on the essence of Polishness! A Renaissance Man. Our thoughts must go to his family at home and his “family” in his unit at the hospital. We will remember him with gratitude, admiration, and affection. Peter Soeters, Alastair Forbes* University of East Anglia, Medicine, Norwich Research Park, Norwich NR4 7TJ, UK * Corresponding
author. Tel.: þ44 20 3108 2180; fax: þ44 20 3447 9217. E-mail address: [email protected]
0261-5614/$ e see front matter Ó 2014 Elsevier Ltd and European Society for Clinical Nutrition and Metabolism. All rights reserved. http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.clnu.2014.01.011
25 December 2013
Contents lists available at ScienceDirect
Clinical Nutrition journal homepage: http://www.elsevier.com/locate/clnu
Editorial
Obituary for Prof Marek Pertkiewicz
On 5th December 2013 Marek Pertkiewicz died, following a subarachnoid haemorrhage, that, despite prompt surgical treatment ultimately proved to be fatal. He had suffered from serious cardiovascular disease in the past, but it still came as a shock that somebody still so actively involved in everyday practice had passed away. Marek was born in 1947 and completed his medical studies in 1971. He then worked in the Department of General and Gastrointestinal Surgery of Warsaw Medical University until in 2003 he established there his own Department of Surgery and Nutrition. Marek was with ESPEN from its inception, and became more visible after the fall of the wall, when we came to appreciate fully the Polish group, especially Bruno Szczygiel, Teresa Korta and Marek himself. In the beginning he was a tacit presence in meetings, and only when talking with him directly did it become evident that he was a passionate patient doctor, heavily involved in dealing with those with abdominal catastrophe - one of the most difficult to treat groups of patients in clinical medicine. He spent time with Stanley Dudrick, also of Polish descent, with whom you could meet almost every year during the Polish surgical congresses and nutritionally/metabolically oriented symposia, where he was usually Marek’s guest. Marek was clearly inspired by him, but the exchange of ideas and views was surely reciprocal. Marek’s first formal activity in ESPEN was with regard to the ESPEN Basic Course, held annually in the “Eastern countries” starting in 1989, on a rotational basis in Hungary, Czechoslovakia (at that time) and Poland. It became clear to those of us who could attend those meetings that Marek devoted most of his life to these patients and their terrible condition, as evidenced by his knowledge and experience. In later years a much larger part of the ESPEN community, and people in the field more generally, came to appreciate his pioneer role, and the prominent part he played in the special interest group on Home Artificial Nutrition and Chronic Intestinal Failure, which had been established in the late eighties. This was reflected in his pivotal role in the multicentre trial addressing the role of Glucagon-Like Peptide II in intestinal failure patients: his unit recruited more patients than any other. In Poland he was for decades the driving force of the Polish Society for Parenteral and Enteral Nutrition (PTZPiD) that he had created
together with his colleagues. For many years he was President of the Society. He was also a member of the Polish Academy of Sciences, and clearly had a major influence on the education of Polish doctors in all aspects of malnutrition. Marek’s behaviour was typical of the man. Until quite recent years he was generally at the back of the congress auditoria, but also often outside these rooms or (for special and often political reasons) outside the venue altogether, along with his old, beaten, but indestructible, Nokia GSM, talking and talking. In the course of time we learnt that he was talking with patients, directly or about them with his co-workers in his special unit at the Orlowskiego Hospital. Some of us have had the privilege of visiting him there and making rounds with him, talking about his and our views on abdominal disease and how to deal with them. It was amazing to see that he ran the unit virtually on his own supported by a small team of associates and assistants. He (thought he) needed very little help from other disciplines, being a holistic doctor pur sang. We agreed that this holistic view was crucial to carry these patients through the ordeal of sepsis, diagnostics, drainage, waiting and waiting, and ultimately often the surgery in which he was so very skilful. But he went further than most of us in not only calling the shots, but being the one who got shot most of the time! Nowadays few of us can any longer retain this overview effectively, and really need colleagues to analyse ECGs, prescribe the best antibiotics, regulate diabetes, and .. to take calls. Those who remain are mostly retired. Marek’s approach and the importance of his unit made Warsaw a natural choice for the first international meeting on home parenteral nutrition. This was held in 2010 and rapidly established itself as a highly regarded annual event. Marek gave a special lecture during the second meeting (in London) entitled “The Polish Soul” in which he described a little of his own background, his professional ethos, and the struggles to achieve good results for patients, not without a good dose of humour, and instructions on the essence of Polishness! A Renaissance Man. Our thoughts must go to his family at home and his “family” in his unit at the hospital. We will remember him with gratitude, admiration, and affection. Peter Soeters, Alastair Forbes* University of East Anglia, Medicine, Norwich Research Park, Norwich NR4 7TJ, UK * Corresponding
author. Tel.: þ44 20 3108 2180; fax: þ44 20 3447 9217. E-mail address: [email protected]
0261-5614/$ e see front matter Ó 2014 Elsevier Ltd and European Society for Clinical Nutrition and Metabolism. All rights reserved. http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.clnu.2014.01.011
25 December 2013