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July 2004
Volume 68 |
Number 7 |
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| New Learning
Tracks for 2004: Critical Care and Obstetrics |
A new approach involving two subspecialty tracks has been
used to organize some of the educational sessions at the
2004 Annual Meeting. A critical care medicine track will
be held on Saturday and Sunday, October 23-24, and an obstetric
anesthesia track has been scheduled for Monday and Tuesday,
October 25-26. Most, if not all, educational sessions related
to knowledge in these subspecialties will occur within each
track rather than spread throughout the five-day meeting.
Note that there will be some sessions outside of the tracks
with content that could be considered within the domain
of knowledge of critical care or obstetric anesthesiology.
The sessions within each track will occur concurrently with
other educational sessions that are not specifically part
of a track this year.
Critical Care Track
The critical care track on Saturday and Sunday offers a
unique opportunity for any anesthesiologist to obtain broad-based
training in the care of critically ill patients and will
provide a better understanding of how to integrate clinical
and administrative aspects of critical care medicine into
an anesthesiology practice. This track introduces some new
formats to supplement the traditional Refresher Course Lectures
and panels. Controversies in clinical management will offer
lively debates on topics of interest to every anesthesiologist;
expert panelists will use evidence-based approaches to justify
their positions on each topic. The scientific papers will
be organized around three areas: outcomes/safety, sepsis/inflammation
and challenges in patient management. A group of panelists
will discuss topics of relevance in each area and serve
as moderators and discussants for each scientific paper
session. An American Society of Critical Care Anesthesiologists/Anesthesiology
special session will be held Saturday morning to highlight
some of the papers.
This track will include breakfast panels on both Saturday
and Sunday and feature an ASA-sponsored session on the “Management
of the Adult Patient With Congenital Heart Disease”
and “CNS Resuscitation: What Works, What Doesn’t”
sponsored by the American Society of Critical Care Anesthesiologists.
Attendees can select a critical care-oriented Refresher
Course Lecture during each session on Saturday and Sunday.
Simultaneous sessions will include panels on postresuscitation
care, new therapeutics, obstacles to optimal clinical management
and incorporating critical care into an anesthesiology practice.
Obstetric Anesthesia Track
Although the obstetric anesthesia track will occur on Monday
and Tuesday, we will continue to offer a number of obstetric-related
Refresher Course Lectures and Problem-Based Learning Discussions
(PBLDs) on Saturday and Sunday. The schedule was designed
to meet the needs of ASA members with an interest in obstetric
anesthesiology who can attend the meeting on the weekend
only. The majority of obstetric activities, including Clinical
Forums, panels, poster and poster-discussion sessions, a
pro/con debate and additional PBLDs and Refresher Course
Lectures, will be held throughout the day on Monday and
Tuesday.
Panel topics include “OB Anesthesia and Co-existing
Diseases” and “Regulatory Issues in OB Anesthesia.”
A debate on the subject, “Masks Should Be Worn During
Neuraxial Anesthesia” is scheduled for Tuesday afternoon.
During a Clinical Forum, cases on “Trauma” and
“Amniotic Fluid Retention” will be discussed.
The Society for Obstetric Anesthesia and Perinatology will
sponsor a Breakfast Panel, “New Horizons in OB Anesthesia,”
on Monday morning. No more than two activities are scheduled
at any one time, and the track has been scheduled in such
a way that members will be able to attend the majority of
the obstetric sessions. The obstetric material has been
planned to interest anyone who is involved in the care of
pregnant women, combining practical advice with cutting-edge
science.
The Task Force on Annual Meeting Opportunities, which has
reviewed the structure of the meeting and recommended the
learning track concept and other changes, will seek feedback
about the tracks during the Annual Meeting. This information
will be used in planning 2005 Annual Meeting activities.
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