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May 2000
Volume 64 |
Number 5
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SUBSPECIALTY NEWS
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| SNACC Makes Use
of the Web to Attain Its Educational, Clinical and Research
Goals |
Piyush M. Patel, M.D.
The Society of Neurosurgical Anesthesia and Critical Care (SNACC)
was founded by a group of distinguished anesthesiologists with a
special interest in neurosurgical anesthesia.1
This group, which included Maurice S. Albin, M.D., John D. Michenfelder,
M.D., and Harvey M. Shapiro, M.D., inaugurated the first annual
meeting of the society in 1973. Although the majority of the society's
members were anesthesiologists, the society has received and continues
to receive important contributions from neurosurgeons. Among the
goals of the society are the identification of neuroanesthesia teaching
goals and methods, discussion of original clinical and basic science
research that is pertinent to neuroanesthesia, and advancement of
the clinical practice of neuroanesthesia. To that end, the society
has undertaken a number of initiatives that might be of interest
not only to the members of ASA but also to anesthesiologists worldwide.
Chief among these initiatives is the establishment of an official
Web site. The SNACC Web site is hosted by Ira J. Rampil, M.D.
The Web site is a repository of information that is of particular
relevance to the practice of neuroanesthesia.
The society wishes to highlight three areas of the Web site
that may be of interest to anesthesiologists.
First, SNACC makes available its bibliography on the Web site.
This bibliography is not simply a collection of references; the
articles within this bibliography have been selected by SNACC
members, each a recognized authority in his or her field, on the
basis of their importance and relevance. In many instances, relevant
articles are accompanied by short summaries that highlight the
important contribution that those articles have made. A revised
bibliography for the year 2000 is currently being assembled under
the guidance of Karen B. Domino, M.D. Once completed, the bibliography
will be posted on the SNACC Web site.
Second, a number of protocols for the management of neurosurgical
cases are available for download. Within each protocol, the perioperative
management of the neurosurgical patient is described. As such,
these protocols serve as a quick reference.
Third, the society is in the process of compiling a database
of neuroanesthesia and neurocritical care fellowships. The fellowship
listings include brief descriptions of the curriculum, research
opportunities available and contact information for each program.
The listing is currently being updated and will be posted on the
Web site in the near future. Those interested in having their
program added to the Web site should contact Mary
A. Cheng, M.D.
In other news, the society has recently convened a special Task
Force on Education. The charge of the task force, chaired by Sulpicio
G. Soriano, M.D., is to establish a repository of clinical and
research topics and training guidelines for anesthesiologists
interested in neurosurgical anesthesia and critical care. Educational
objectives will be derived from the neuroanesthesia-related content
outline topics published by the American Board of Anesthesiology.
Clinical application of these educational concepts will be bolstered
by compilation of clinical cases/scenarios. It is the hope of
the task force that interested parties will discuss their institutional
bias/practices regarding these clinical scenarios through the
society's Web site discussion group. The Task Force on Education
is also addressing issues in competency in neurosurgical anesthesia
and critical care by establishing recommended guidelines for advanced
training in neurosurgical anesthesia. The findings and the recommendations
of this task force will be available on the SNACC Web site in
the near future.
The 28th Annual Meeting of the society will be held in San Francisco,
California, on Friday, October 13, 2000. This meeting is an ideal
forum for the presentation of scientific abstracts relevant not
only to neuroanesthesia but also to the neurosciences in general.
The society is especially pleased to announce that the keynote
lecture at this year's meeting will be delivered by Louis J. Ignarro,
M.D. Dr. Ignarro was awarded the Nobel Prize in Medicine in 1998
for his seminal work that led to the discovery of nitric oxide.
In addition to this meeting, SNACC also sponsors a breakfast panel
at the ASA Annual Meeting. This year, the panel will be hosted
by Barbara Van De Wiele, M.D. Issues that are likely to impact
neuroanesthesia in the future will be discussed by recognized
authorities in the field.
The society provides a number of resources for anesthesiologists
who are interested in clinical, research and educational aspects
of neuroanesthesia. Membership in the society is encouraged. Information
about membership can be found at the SNACC Web site.
Reference:
1. Albin, MS. The genesis of a neuroanesthesiology
society. J Neurosurg Anesth. 1997; 9(4):296-307.
Piyush M. Patel, M.D., is Associate Professor,
Department of Anesthesiology, University of California
San Diego and Staff Anesthesiologist, Veterans Administration
Medical Center, San Diego, California.
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