Biography
Sarah Kettle is a consultant orthopaedic hand surgeon, working in the NHS for the last eight years.
She completed her certificate of specialty training on the West of Scotland training programme in 2012, starting her consultant career in Sunderland Royal Hospital.
Sarah moved to The James Cook University Hospital in August 2019, working with a bigger multidisciplinary hand team.
She completed a year-long fellowship at the Pulvertaft hand centre in Derby working with orthopaedic and plastic surgical specialty hand surgeons.
Sarah has conducted research in nerve repair, achieved an MD degree and has passed the hand diploma organised by Manchester University, 2013.
Sarah understands the importance and value that research plays in the modern NHS and in the continuing professional development of all doctors.
Sarah’s scientific training has been broad, due to the multidisciplinary nature of her MD project.
As well as valuable experience in end-to-side nerve repair techniques and use of clinical microscopes, Sarah has also learned about and gained experience in animal husbandry, neurophysiological techniques, specimen preparation, staining techniques and microscopy.
Doctor of Medicine (MD) project: February 2001 – April 2003
University of Edinburgh department of clinical neurosciences, Western General Hospital, Edinburgh and The Roslin Institute for Bioresearch, Roslin, Edinburgh
This was a two-year project (grant from action research for the materials) leading to the award of an MD based on a written thesis, July 2004.
Aim:
To study the elecromyelographic and histological outcomes in nerves that had been repaired by an end to side technique using a sheep model.
This technique has the potential to restore good function of a limb in the face of severe proximal nerve tissue loss without the use of nerve grafts. Results were compared to controls and conventional methods of nerve repair which included autologous grafting, end-to-end repair and an entubulation technique.
Findings:
Half of the end-to-side nerve repairs supported nerve regeneration but with a degree of injury to the donor nerve. The functional outcomes of the end-to-side repairs were inferior to conventional techniques which were in turn inferior to controls.
End-to-side neurrorhaphy supported nerve regeneration but the reliability of this technique is called into question and its use as a clinical tool can be recommended only as a salvage procedure.
Second year elective: OPTIMA, The Oxford Project for research into memory and ageing, 1989 – 1998
The Radcliffe Infirmary, Oxford
Sarah was involved in the project for two months in 1991 where she collated viral titre results from the CSF of alzheimer’s patients.
The study look at the possibility of there being an infectious role in the alzheimer’s disease process.
Although largely unrelated to surgical fields, this was an excellent learning experience in collating and presenting data in an organised way.
Special interests
- Orthopaedic hand surgery with trauma
Training
- Certificate of speciality training, West of Scotland training programme, 2012
- Fellowship, Pulvertaft Hand Centre, Derby
- MD, Manchester University, 2013
Publications
End-to-side nerve repair in a large animal model – How does it compare to conventional methods of nerve repair?
Kettle, et al. (2012)
Journal of Hand Surgery (European volume)
Sutureless repair of the facial nerve
Starritt, et al. (2011)
The Laryngoscope