It is a great honor and privilege that Dr. Vicente Carratalá has allowed us to write this editorial for the current issue of the Revista Iberoamericana de Cirugía de Mano. We are in an exciting and highly anticipated moment, organizing an unprecedented event in hand surgery. From April 23 to 25, 2025, Palma de Mallorca will host the joint congress between the Sociedad Española de Cirugía de Mano (SECMA) and the British Society of Hand Surgery (BSSH).
As the President of the Congress, together with my colleague and friend Dr. Xavier Terrades, and other distinguished members of the SECMA Organising Committee, we worked side by side with our British colleagues, led by Dr. Carlos Heras-Palou, also President of the Organising Committee, on behalf of the BSSH. The scientific committee, chaired by Dr. Mireia Esplugas and Dr. David Clark, is composed of highly experienced and prestigious surgeons such as Dr. Higinio Ayala, Dr. Belén García Medrano, Dr. Gill Arrowsmith, and Dr. Jane McEachan.
Throughout the history of SECMA congresses, there has been a tradition of inviting hand surgery societies from other countries, such as the French Society, the German Society, the Eastern European Society, the Scandinavian Society, etc., and of course the British Society in 2005. However, on this occasion, the congress will be truly joint, as it also represents one of the two annual congresses of the BSSH, which raises the scope and challenge of this event in terms of organization and scientific content. This makes it one of the most relevant meetings in the 2025 calendar. In addition, every year, the annual congress of AETEMA, the Society of Hand Therapists, will be celebrated, and for the second consecutive year, the Surgical Nursing Congress for Hand and Wrist Surgery will be celebrated, reflecting the interdisciplinary and integrative nature of our profession.
The congress will begin with a pre-congress on April 23, which will take place at the School of Medicine of the Universitat de les Illes Balears and the Hospital Universitario Son Espases. During this pre-congress, various instructional courses will be offered covering surgical techniques, ultrasound, physical examination, research, and other key areas. These courses allow attendees to hone their skills and update themselves on the latest developments in hand surgery.
The congress will be held on April 24th and 25th at the Palacio de Congresos de Palma de Mallorca, a modern center offering all the necessary facilities and resources for an event of this magnitude. Its prime location, facing the seafront and just a 15-minute walk from the historic city center and 8 minutes from the international airport, makes Palma an accessible and attractive place for attendees from all over Europe and beyond.
The scientific program will cover all key areas of hand surgery, including hand, wrist, peripheral nerve, congenital hand, and microsurgery. There will be various round tables, including an official SECMA table organized by Dr. Fernando del Canto, dealing with hand and wrist rigidity. We will also have a panel organized by the Asociación Española de Microcirugía, coordinated by Dr. Ignacio Roger de Oña and Dr. Iván Monge, as well as panels dedicated to arthroscopy (EWAS) and congenital hand surgery.
In addition, we would like to pay a well-deserved tribute to one of the most influential figures in the history of hand and wrist surgery, who has been one of my teachers and mentors, Dr. Marc Garcia-Elias. His career and contributions to the field have profoundly marked not only my career but also that of many other hand surgeons. This recognition will be materialized in a panel, organized by Dr. Alex LLuch, in which a critical view of pathologies that should be known by all of us who are dedicated to hand and wrist surgery will be presented.
Of course, we cannot forget the social events that are essential to this type of scientific meeting. These meetings allow for networking, exchanging experiences, and meeting colleagues from different parts of the world in a more relaxed atmosphere, which is essential for enriching professional and personal connections. With such a privileged setting as Palma de Mallorca, these social events promise to be unforgettable.
As always, we would like to express our most sincere gratitude to the industry for its collaboration in organizing this event. Their support is essential for the realization of congresses of this magnitude, and without their contribution, it would not be possible to hold a meeting of this caliber.
We invite all colleagues, both from Spain and from other countries, to reserve the dates in their diaries and attend this congress, which promises to be spectacular. It will be a unique opportunity to share knowledge, discuss advances, and strengthen ties between surgeons from different countries, all united by a common goal: to improve the results and quality of life of our patients. The collaboration between SECMA and BSSH in this joint event marks a milestone in the history of hand surgery and opens new doors to future international collaborations.
We appreciate the support of all those involved in the organization and hope that this congress meets the expectations of both attendees and the international scientific community. We are convinced that Palma de Mallorca will be the perfect setting for this great meeting and that together we will be able to continue advancing in the fascinating and always challenging field of hand surgery.
See you in Palma in April 2025!
Dr. Guillem Salvà Coll and Dr. Carlos Heras-Palou
Presidents of the Conference
Palma de Mallorca
MallorcaHand 2025
23–25 April 2025
