PLAN NOW TO ATTEND THE SAMBA MID YEAR MEETING! - TOP

2008 Mid Year Meeting Friday, October 17, 2008 Rosen Centre Hotel Orlando, Florida Program Information

SUGGESTIONS NEEDED: ASA 2009 AMBULATORY TRACK - TOP

Please help us to plan the Ambulatory Track for the 2009 ASA Annual Meeting in New Orleans by submitting suggestions for topics, speakers, and format.  The Ambulatory Track will include refresher course lectures, point-counterpoint, panels, luncheon panels, and clinical forum sessions. 

ASA members can submit suggestions via the members-only section of the ASA website at: www.asawebapps.org. 

Open Session Submissions for the ASA 2009 Annual Meeting

If possible, please submit suggestions BEFORE this year’s ASA meeting to allow us to review the track content at that time.  Submissions must be received by November 30, 2008

Thanks
Lucy Everett MD
Chair, Ambulatory Track Subcommittee

Click to find out what Activities for Ambulatory Anesthesia are available at the upcoming 2008 ASA Meeting!

WEB SITE OF THE MONTH- TOP

Malignant hyperthermia made front page news in March as the cause of death of a teenage girl undergoing surgery in a Boca Raton plastic surgeon’s office. A tragic reminder of this rare disease prompts this month’s featured web-site, www.mhaus.org.

The Malignant Hyperthermia Association of the United States (MHAUS) was founded in 1981 with the mission: “to reduce death and injury from MH by improving medical care related to MH, provide support information for patients, and improve the scientific understanding of MH through ongoing research.”

The web-site features information for patients and families as well as health care professionals. There is a recently updated printable poster for emergency therapy that includes sections for diagnosis, acute phase treatment and post acute phase treatment. The poster also has the MH Hotline number to contact consultants 24/7: 1-800-MH-HYPER

The web-site has easily accessible information on a variety of information including a list of consultants, safe and unsafe anesthetic agents, and FAQs about dantrolene and concerns such as the perioperative care of the MH patient, including outpatients and the pregnant patient

Two PowerPoint presentations delivered by Dr. Harry Rosenberg “MH Syndrome 2006” and “Rhabdomyolysis in the Perioperiative Period ‘’ are available. Other educational materials include 2 exams for CME credit and a “case of the month” which are also archived. Links to podcasts of expert speakers are provided as well as Dr. Rosenberg’s blog.

Feedback

Please feel free to give us your feedback about this web-site and this new section (VSMOOT@anes.umm.edu).  Furthermore, if you have a web-site that you have found to be informative for the practice of anesthesiology, please let us know. Thanks.

Victoria Smoot, MD

SAMBA 2009 ANNUAL MEETING: SCOTTSDALE, AZ - TOP


As the days of fall begin we can start to get excited about what spring may yield. We hope as part of your spring you are planning to attend the SAMBA annual meeting in Scottsdale, Arizona. The program is beginning to take shape.

The preconvention meeting on Thursday May 14th is titled 'Preoperative Decision Making'. It will kick off with an overview by Dr Tom Cutter on patient selection, followed by several panels. The first will be on Obstructive Sleep Apnea and the 2nd on drugs patients are on that provide challenges for their anesthetic management. The first panel will be a brief overview of the topic followed by a case presentation in the format of an oral board stem.

After lunch the 3rd panel titled ' If I had to do it again" focuses on case presentations. The panelists will present cases where they have made decisions that they subsequently would have altered. Audience participation will be encouraged so that we can all share such experiences and hopefully learn how to minimize them. This will be followed by several workshops on cardiac evaluation, use of ultrasound for regional anesthesia, use of catheters for ambulatory regional anesthesia, and airway devices for use in an ASC. This year we will also provide a course on ACLS certification on Thursday.

The Main program begins on Friday May 15th with the day devoted to topics on Office Based Anesthesia (OBA). The morning session covers OBA for dentistry, plastics, developmentally delayed children, regional anesthesia for OBA and then ends with the question 'Is OBA a short lived specialty.' The afternoon consists of multiple workshops on regional anesthesia techniques, OBA and ASC administration and on how to prepare for emergencies in an office.

Saturday kicks off with the debate 'Should We Be the Preoperative Physicians or Just Leave it to the Internists?' followed by the SAMBA Frontiers lecture and an update on the ASA. The afternoon consists of the ever popular 'Cases from the real world', followed by several parallel PBLD sessions.
 
Sunday starts with a session on post operative analgesia concentrating on regional anesthesia for adults followed by pain management in children. Next are the presentations of the Award winning abstracts. Sunday ends with Journal club which reviews pertinent new literature in Ambulatory Anesthesia.

We certainly hope that we will see many of you in Scottsdale for our Annual Meeting

Peter Glass and Tom Cutter

RESIDENTS SECTION: INTERVIEW WITH DR. GEORGE NEUMAN - TOP

Leadership in Anesthesiology

An interview with Dr. George Neuman
Jennifer Wu, CA-2 Resident at St. Vincent’s Hospital in Manhattan

Dr. George Neuman is the Chairman of the Department of Anesthesiology and the Chief Medical Officer of St. Vincent’s Hospital in Manhattan.  Dr. Neuman and I spoke about leadership, goals, and the role of anesthesiologists.

What do you like about Anesthesiology?

First and foremost, I like the work that we do as anesthesiologists. In addition, you have the ability to reinvent yourself as you go through your career.  You can pursue academia or private practice. There are administrative opportunities both within and outside of the perioperative environment. Over the past 10-15 years, anesthesiologists have increasingly taken on new roles including: medical director, dean, and CEO.

What are your responsibilities as Chairman?

My primary responsibility is to assure that a high standard of patient care is consistently achieved. I optimize the use of resources, both human and facility, in the department.  I work to ensure that we maintain our reputation by recruiting the best physicians and by creating an environment that assures their success. Successfully balancing individuals’ wants and needs is a challenge that confronts all chairs.

What is your favorite activity as Chairman?

Mentoring.  I enjoying sharing my experience with others, providing people with what they need to meet their goals, and ultimately, seeing them succeed.

Why does anesthesiology go hand in hand with leadership?

The administrative goals of an anesthesia department should be in sync with the goals of the hospital.  As anesthesiologists, we are focused on customer service, quality care, and resource conservation.  If the department and perioperative services run well, the reputation and financial position of the institution will be enhanced.  Anesthesiologists are at the forefront of quality improvement and evidence based care, having made incredible contributions to patient safety. We are key members of the perioperative team, not only responsible for the wellbeing of the patient but for the maintaining high standards of compliance and efficiency in the OR.

What advice do you give to physicians who want to move ahead in their careers?

You must be a self-starter and a skilled physician.  Enjoy what you do and look for opportunities.  If you take on new opportunities as they arise, you will continue to advance.  Be proactive and do a good job, you’ll be noticed.