Waseem Saeed BSc, MB ChB, FRCS (Ed), FRCS (Plast)

In 1977 at the age of 14, I watched a short video played by a surgeon visiting the school I attended. The video demonstrated how the surgeon took the patient’s deformed, twisted and useless leg, and through carefully planned bone repositioning straightened the limb, giving the child a chance of learning to walk. This experience later influenced me into choosing a reconstructive surgical career.

My goals were reflected in my training. I started at St James’s University Hospital in Leeds, which was one of the largest microsurgical units in the world. The weekend on-call brought in a steady stream of patients requiring basic limb repair, whilst the position of St James’s as a regional and national centre for microsurgery, brought in patients suffering from severe limb and life-threatening injuries. I started to learn the techniques involved.

My training took me to Aberdeen for two and a half years at a time when farming and the oil industry were booming. Both of these generated severely injured patients with a disturbing regularity. Again I learnt a great deal about tissue structure, salvage and reconstruction.

In 1998 I succeeded in securing a fellowship at the Christine Kleinert Institute for Hand and Microsurgery in Louisville, Kentucky. This unit is internationally renowned for microsurgical training and has produced many microsurgeons across the globe.

Here I was privileged to work with Harold Kleinert who is world renowned for his work on tendon injuries as well as other members of that faculty who are world leaders in their respective fields.

A well-motivated patient following microsurgical transfer of 2 toes to restore fingers to the left hand

This was a unit that did not turn injured patients away regardless of their ability to pay and as a result the work was intensive. It was here in Louisville that I experienced at first hand the surgical management of children affected by cerebral palsy in their upper limbs.

In November 1999 I returned to take up my NHS Consultant Post back at Leeds. Here I carried out the usual range of general plastic surgery but also developed specialisation in reconstruction for limb paralysis, spasticity, microsurgery and children’s hand surgery.

I have always had a keen interest in teaching and was appointed honorary Clinical Lecture at Leeds University Medical School from 1999 to 2013 and Honorary Clinical Lecturer at Manchester University Medical School from 2010 to 2013

Humanitarian work is an important part of my life and I provided acute reconstructive surgery after earthquakes in Pakistan 2005, China 2008, Indonesia 2009 and Haiti 2010, campaigning for plastic surgeons to be integral members of relief teams throughout this time. In 2010 I presented the case to the UK Department for International Development leading to the formation of a UK Register od specialist humanitarian teams.

Since then I have been Faculty at the Global Risk Forum Emergency Surgery Workshops in 2011 and 2013 helping to shape future emergency responses. In 2015 I participated in the joint AO Foundation – International Comittee of the Red Cross collaboration as an invited expert to develop global guidelines for disaster limb injuries. I teach the plastic surgery component of the Surgery of the Austere Environment Course at the Royal College of Surgeons and am a member of the Red Cross.

After nearly 10 years I moved back to my home town, Manchester, to work in independent practice and focus on my main areas of interest: advanced facial rejuvenation, cosmetic surgery, limb reconstruction with a special interest in upper limb cerebral palsy surgery and limb salvage.

My early training in London allowed me to start carrying out cosmetic procedures in 1993 and since then I have expanded and refined my techniques through a busy cosmetic practice as a consultant over 17 years,and through international visits and meetings.

I carry out a full range of cosmetic surgical procedures but I have a special interest in rhinoplasty and facial rejuvenation combining the latest techniques of surgery, and non-surgical techniques of volume enhancement, skin cosmeceutical and platelet treatments into comprehensive programmes to combat the effects of ageing.

I also specialise in advanced liposculpture using the state-of-the-art “Bodyjet System”, cosmetic breast surgery and the correction of problems after cosmetic surgery.

Qualifications

Postgraduate

General Medical Council Specialist Register (Plastic Surgery)
Jul 1999

United Kingdom Certificate of Completion of Specialist Training
Jan 1999

Plastic Surgery Fellowship – FRCS(Plast)  
Sept 1997
Joint Intercollegiate Board of the Royal Colleges

General Surgical Fellowship – FRCS(Ed)
Nov 1991
Royal College of Surgeons of Edinburgh

Medical School

MB ChB Manchester University Medical School
Aug 1987

BSc Medical Science
St Andrews University
Aug 1984

Professional Memberships

British Association of Plastic, Reconstructive and Aesthetic Surgeons
Since 2000

Fellow of the Royal College of Surgeons, England
Since 2014

International Committee of the Red Cross
Since 2016

Plastic Surgery Lead of the Medical Advisory Committee of the Leeds Nuffield Hospital
2007 – 2013

Fellow of the Royal College of Surgeons, Edinburgh
1991 – 2014

Pakistan Association of Plastic Surgeons

Since 2007

British Society for Surgery of the Hand   
Since 2000

General Medical Council Registration

Since 1987

Medical Defence Union  

Since 1987

British Medical Association  
Since 1987

Experience

UK / NHS

Consultant Plastic, Reconstructive and Hand Surgeon
The Wilmslow Hospital, Manchester
2017 to date

Consultant Plastic, Reconstructive and Hand Surgeon
The Harley Street Clinic Hospital, London
Since 2015

Consultant Plastic, Reconstructive and Hand Surgeon
The Harley Street Clinic Children’s Hospital, London
Since 2015

Consultant Plastic, Reconstructive and Hand Surgeon
Spire Manchester Hospital
2013 – 2017

Consultant Plastic, Reconstructive and Hand Surgeon
The BMI Alexandra Hospital, Manchester
2008 – 2013

Plastic Surgery Lead for the Medical Advisory Committee and Consultant Plastic Surgeon
Leeds Nuffield Hospital
1999 – 2013

Consultant Plastic Surgeon
Leeds Spire Hospital
1999 – 2013

Consultant Plastic, Reconstructive and Hand Surgeon
Leeds Teaching Hospitals NHS Trust
1999 – 2008

Specialist Registrar Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery
St. John’s Hospital, Edinburgh
Mar 1997 – July 1998
Aberdeen Royal Infirmary
Aug 1994 – Feb 1997

Senior House Officer Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery
Charing Cross Hospital, London
Mar 1993 – July 1994
St. James’s University Hospital, Leeds
Feb 1992 – Feb 1993

Senior House Officer, General Surgery Rotation
Leeds General Infirmary
June 1989 – Jan 1992

Preregistration House Officer
Manchester Royal Infirmary
Mar 1988 – Aug 1988
Furness General Hospital, Barrow
Aug 1987 – Feb 1988

International

Consultant Plastic, Reconstructive and Hand Surgeon
United Medical Muscat Private Hospital, Sultanate of Oman
2013 – 2015

Fellowship in Hand and Microsurgery
Christine M. Kleinert Institute, Louisville, Kentucky, USA
Aug 1998 – July 1999

Humanitarian / Earthquake Missions

Plastic Surgeon
Septorhinoplasty workshop

Congenital hand surgery workshop

Provision of surgery and training colleagues in septorhinoplasty for post-traumatic, septal and aesthetic anomalies

Provision of surgery and training colleagues in hand surgery for congenital hand deformities in children

Burns and Plastic Surgery Unit, Nishtar University Hospital, Multan, Pakistan

February 2018

Paediatric Hand Surgeon
Provision of surgery and training colleagues in hand surgery for congenital hand deformities in children

Burns and Plastic Surgery Unit, Nishtar University Hospital, Multan, Pakistan

February and September 2017

Plastic Surgery Faculty: Surgery in the Austere Environment Course
Royal College of Surgeons, London
Since 2011

Plastic Surgery Coordinator
UK International Emergency Trauma Register
2010 – 2013

Plastic surgery lead
First DfID-UK-Med surgical response to the Haiti Earthquake
Port au Prince, Haiti in 2010

Plastic surgery lead
Merlin-UK surgical response to the Indonesia Earthquake
Sumatra, Indonesia in 2009

Plastic surgery lead
UK Government surgical response to the China Earthquake
Mianyang, China in 2008

Plastic surgery lead,
BAPRAS team surgical response to the Pakistan Earthquake
Abbottabad, Pakistan in December 2005

Plastic surgery lead
Yorkshire Medical Doctors surgical response to the Pakistan Earthquake
Abbottabad, Pakistan in October 2005

Publications

Experience of an Ortho-Plastic Limb Salvage Team after the Haiti Earthquake: Analysis of Case-Load and Early Outcomes
AJP Clover, S Rannan-Eliya, R Buxton, S Majumder, SP Hettiaratchy, B Jemec, Saeed W
On Behalf of the BAPRAS-MERLIN emergency response team to Haiti, January to April 2010

Recurrent carpal tunnel syndrome in a child due to fibrolipomatous hamartoma of the median nerve successfully treated by limited excision and decompression
Bains R, Kotwal A, Saeed W
Journal of Plastic Reconstructive and Aesthetic Surgery 2006; 59(12):1394-7; Epub 23rd March 2006
PMID: 17113528

Carpal tunnel syndrome in a patient with trichorhinophalangeal syndrome
Morritt AN, Saeed WR, Robinson P
Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery March 2006; 117(3):36e-39e
PMID: 16525252

A simple method to facilitate the application of resin-based casts using water-soluble gel
Hobman JW, Saeed W
Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery September 2003; 112(4):1187-8
PMID: 12973256

The Leeds Protocol for early motion of extensor repairs: results in 93 patients
Bains R, Kotwal A, Saeed W.
Accepted for publication, The Journal of Hand Surgery 2005

Cerebral palsy of the upper extremity: the surgical perspective
Saeed W
Current Orthopaedics Vol. 17, 105 – 116. 2003

Skin Injuries afflicting three oil workers following contact with calcium bromide and or calcium chloride
Saeed W, Distante S, Holmes J, Kolhe P
Burns: The Journal of the ISBI Vol. 23, No.7/8: 634-637. 1998

The “turkey wattle” sign revisited: diagnosing parotid vascular malformations in the adult
Saeed W, Kolhe P
British Journal of Plastic Surgery Vol. 50, No.1: 43-46. 1997

Sensory innervation of the little finger by an anomalous branch of the median nerve
Saeed W, Davies D
Journal of Hand Surgery Vol. 20B 1: 42-43. 1995

The treatment of burns
Saeed W, Davies D
Postgraduate Doctor Vol. 17, No. 12: 514-522. 1994

Harvest of palmaris longus tendon: technique
Saeed W, Kay S
The Journal of Hand Surgery Vol. 18B: 583-584. 1993

Cetrimide lavage: ineffective and potentially toxic
Saeed W, Stewart J, Benson E
Annals of the Royal College of Surgeons of England Vol. 73, No. 126. 1991

Presentations

Faculty
AO Foundation Course—Limb Surgery in Disaster and Conflicts for Emergency Medical Teams Davos
Switzerland 2017

Faculty
Surgery in the austere environment: Cadaver demonstrations, tutorials and lectures on soft tissue techniques for reconstruction and limb salvage.
Royal College of Surgeons of England, Manchester UK 2017

Invited speaker
Decision making in overseas [humanitarian] work
British Foundation for International Reconstructive Surgery and Training / BSSH Annual Overseas Meeting
Royal College of Surgeons, London 2017

GP CPD Lecture
Plastic Surgery – When to Refer?
Harley Street Clinic Children’s Hospital, London in 2016

Invited speaker and Faculty Member
Surgery in the Austere Environment: Cadaver demonstrations, tutorials and lectures on soft tissue techniques for reconstruction and limb salvage
The Royal College of Surgeons of England in 2016

Speaker and Invited Expert
Joint AO Foundation – International Committee of the Red Cross Expert Meeting on Limb Surgery in Disaster and Conflict Situations
The AO Foundation, Davos, Switzerland, in 2015

Invited Speaker and Faculty Member
Surgery in the Austere Environment: Cadaver demonstrations, tutorials and lectures on soft tissue techniques for reconstruction and limb salvage
The Royal College of Surgeons of England in 2015

Invited Speaker and Faculty Member
Surgery in the Austere Environment: Cadaver demonstrations, tutorials and lectures on soft tissue techniques for reconstruction and limb salvage
The Royal College of Surgeons of England in 2014

Invited Speaker and Faculty Member
Round Table Discussion and Consensus on Recommendations (Guidelines) for Foreign Medical Intervention Teams
Surgical Decision Making
The Emergency Surgery Workshop Global Risk Forum (AO-GRF-HCRI Collaboration), Davos, Switzerland in December 2013

Invited Speaker and Faculty Member
Surgery in the Austere Environment: Cadaver demonstrations, tutorials and lectures on soft tissue techniques for reconstruction and limb salvage
The Royal College of Surgeons of England in 2013

Invited Speaker and Faculty Member
Round Table Discussion and Consensus on Recommendations (Guidelines) for Emergency Surgery for Disaster Relief
Amputation
The Pakistan Earthquake
The Emergency Surgery Workshop Global Risk Forum (AO-GRF-HCRI Collaboration), Davos, Switzerland in December 2011

Invited Speaker and Faculty Member
Ortho-Plastic Approach in Limb Salvage
The Disasters Session: Combined British Orthopaedic Association and Irish Orthopaedic Association Meeting,
Dublin, Ireland in October 2011

Invited Speaker and Faculty Member
Complications of Treating Earthquake Injury Victims in Haiti 2010
BAPRAS Summer Scientific Meeting: Earthquake Response Session in June 2010

Invited Speaker
Limb Salvage in Earthquake Injury
Report to the Department for International Development, London in February 2010

Invited Guest Speaker
Haiti 2010; Awarded ‘EMBF Award for Special Services’
UK Ethnic Minority Business Forum Awards 2010, Liverpool.

Invited Speaker and Faculty Member
Workshop: Management of the Upper Limb in Cerebral Palsy
Leeds in June 2010

Invited Speaker
Post Haiti 2010 Earthquake: Should Merlin have a Surgical Arm to its Operations?
Merlin UK Charity Annual Meeting 14th April 2010, Lane End, Bucks.

Invited Speaker and Faculty Member
Liposuction of the Trunk
British Association of Aesthetic Plastic Surgeons, Cardiff 2009

Invited Speaker and Faculty Member
Sino-British Emergency Management of Disaster and Rehabilitation Advanced Training Course
Beijiing, Cheng Du, Mian Yang, China in February 2009, Sponsored by UK Department for International Development (DIFD)

Limb Reconstruction Following Crush Injuries
Debate: Management of Traumatic Soft Tissue Defects of the Foot
Chengdu, China in 2008

Invited Speaker and Faculty Member
Lessons from a Disaster: The Northwest Pakistan Earthquake 2005
The International Conference on Disaster Management, Islamabad, Pakistan 2007

Invited Speaker and Faculty Member
Chest Wall Reconstruction in Poland’s Syndrome
The Management of Adult and Paediatric Brachial Plexus Injuries
Microsurgical Functioning Muscle Transfer for Elbow Flexion
Exploration of the Brachial Plexus: Demonstration of Technique in a Cadaver
The Management of the Upper Limb in Cerebral Palsy
Pakistan Association of Plastic Surgeons, Peshawar, Pakistan 2007

Chan K, Wiper J, Saeed W, Burdon J, Dolan, M
Upper Limb Spasticity And The Elbow: A Review of the Results in Leeds
Early Motion Following the Surgical Treatment of Upper Extremity Spasticity: The Leeds Regime
Upper Limb Spasticity Surgery and the Wrist: A Review of Results in Leeds
Functioning Free Gracilis Transfer for Elbow Flexion: The Leeds Experience
International Federation of Societies for Surgery of the Hand, Sydney 2007

Northwest Pakistan Earthquake 15th to 29th October 2005: Report to the British Association of Plastic Surgeons Winter Meeting
Royal College of Surgeons of England in December 2005

Bains R, Kotwal A, Saeed W
The Leeds Protocol for Early Motion of Extensor Repairs: Results in 93 patients
British Society for Surgery of the Hand in 2004

Saeed W, Dowley J, Dolan M, Burdon J
Early Active Motion Following Surgery for Cerebral Palsy of the Upper Extremity
The Leeds Protocol for Surgery of the Upper Extremity in Cerebral Palsy
Federation of European Societies for Surgery of the Hand, Lisbon in 2003

Chest Wall and Hand Reconstruction in Poland Syndrome
British Society for Surgery of the Hand Instructional Course, Manchester in 2001

Upper Extremity Reconstruction: Today and Tomorrow
REACH Charity Conference, Glasgow 2000

Suture Technique and Results of Early Mobilisation of Acute Extensor Tendon Injuries (with E Mah E and T Tsai)
British Association of Plastic Surgeons, Belfast in 1999

A Cadaver Study of a Step-Cut Technique of Flexor Tendons to Allow the Primary Repair of Defects in Zone 2 (with T Tsai)
Tenosynovitis in the Hand
Christine M Kleinert Institute, Louisville USA in 1999

Partially Divided Flexor Tendons in the Hand: The evidence for and against repair
Upper Extremity Replantation in Children: 35 Years Experience
Christine M Kleinert Institute, Louisville USA in 1998

A Prospective Randomised Trial to Compare Outcome in Paediatric Fingertip Injuries Treated by Suture and Non-Suture Techniques
Joint Scottish and Irish Plastic Surgery Meeting, Dundee in 1996

Neuroanatomy of the wrist in relation to carpal tunnel decompression with D Davies
Advanced Workshop in Hand Surgery Anatomy at the Royal College of Surgeons of England in 1995

Decompression of the Carpal Tunnel: Anatomical Considerations
National Carpal Tunnel Conference, London in 1993