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October 2001
Volume 65 |
Number 10
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SUBSPECIALTY NEWS
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| SCA:
The Heart of Cardiovascular Anesthesiology |
Roger A. Moore, M.D., President
Society of Cardiovascular Anesthesiologists
Founded in 1979, the mission of the Society
of Cardiovascular Anesthesiologists (SCA) continues to emphasize
excellence in the care of patients undergoing anesthesia for cardiovascular
and thoracic procedures through continued education and research.
The founding members of the Society envisioned an inclusive membership
of all physicians interested in cardiothoracic and vascular anesthesia
that would allow a venue for presenting research, obtaining knowledge
and allowing for the collaborative exchange of new ideas regarding
clinical approaches. Over the past 22 years, the Society has grown
to over 6,500 members, with 1,000 international members. As the
Society has grown, it has become involved in a variety of endeavors
spanning diverse interests such as governmental action, economic
reimbursement and standardization of clinical approaches. The
Society’s basic responsibility, however, continues to be
the promotion of research and provision of high-quality education.
SCA holds three major meetings within North
America on a yearly basis and cosponsors one international meeting
every two years. In 2001, the annual meeting was held in Vancouver,
British Columbia, Canada, May 5-9, and was attended by over 1,000
anesthesiologists from around the world. In 2002, the annual meeting
will be held in New York City, April 20-24. The Update on Cardiopulmonary
Bypass Meeting was held in Breckenridge, Colorado, March 11-17,
and was attended by over 200 registrants, including anesthesiologists,
perfusionists and cardiac surgeons. In 2002, this meeting will
be in Snowmass, Colorado, March 17-23. The third major meeting
of SCA is the Annual Comprehensive Review and transesophageal
echocardiography (TEE) Update. This outstanding meeting was held
in San Diego, California, February 11-17, with more than 600 registrants.
The intraoperative TEE meeting is oriented toward individuals
interested in preparing for certification in TEE and includes
both didactic lectures as well as a hands-on “wet lab.”
This week-long meeting provides a totally emersive experience
in TEE. Next year, this meeting will be held in Orlando, Florida,
February 18-24. There was no international meeting this year;
next year, however, SCA will co-sponsor a meeting on November
10-13, 2002, with the Israel Society of Anesthesiologists.
Another major initiative of SCA is to seek
approval for accreditation of fellowship programs in cardiothoracic
anesthesiology from the Accreditation Counsel for Graduate Medical
Education. Emphasis should be made that this is not for certification
of anesthesiologists but rather accreditation of fellowship programs.
Standardizing minimum training requirements across the country
will help insure the highest level of care given by practitioners
emerging from cardiothoracic fellowship programs.
SCA continues to be actively involved in
helping set standards for TEE. SCA has significant representation
on the National Board of Echocardiology, w
hich prepares the certifying examination
in perioperative echocardiology. Members on an SCA task force
have recently worked with the American College of Echocardiology
to define a standard TEE examination. Another task force of SCA
has provided input into standardizing forms used for making transesophageal
echo reports. Copies of these forms are available for inspection
on the SCA Web site <www.scahq.org>.
Finally, a fourth task force is involved with the American Society
of Echocardiology that will define training standards in transesophageal
echo.
SCA actively supports research activities
by providing direct grants and through significant donations to
the Foundation for Anesthesia Education and Research. The goal
is to encourage the development of academically oriented cardiovascular
anesthesiologists who will be the teachers for our future members.
Electronic abstract submission was achieved this past year and
will continue to be used in the future.
A major initiative of SCA is our Internet
presence. Our Web site provides meeting dates, general information
about SCA, job opportunities and will be taking on an important
educational role by using case reports based on members’
experiences. Continuing medical education (CME)-based education
obtained through the Web site will become a reality in the near
future. In addition, this past year many of the lectures provided
at our annual meeting in Vancouver were videotaped and are now
available for viewing and CME credit. Access to this Web site
is fee-based, and information can be obtained by going to the
“Virtual Library” on SCA’s Web site.
Finally, our members benefit educationally
from a yearly monograph that explores in-depth a cardiovascular-related
subject, plus our bimonthly newsletter and scientific articles
in our journal Anesthesia and Analgesia.
The Society of Cardiovascular Anesthesiologists
is a vigorous, active organization that is continuing to grow
and expand in many directions. However, the core of SCA continues
to be dedication to providing research opportunities and education
to our membership.
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Roger A. Moore,
M.D., is Chair of Anesthesia, Deborah Heart and Lung Center,
and Associate Clinical Professor, University of Medicine and
Dentistry of New Jersey, Browns Mill, New Jersey. |
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