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March 2005
Volume 69 |
Number 3
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| Annual
Meeting Learning Tracks Announced: Cardiac and Neuro |
 n
2004, learning tracks on critical care medicine and
obstetric anesthesia were inaugurated at the ASA Annual
Meeting as a new approach to organizing some of the
educational sessions. These two tracks will continue
at the 2005 meeting and will be supplemented by two
additional tracks on neuroanesthesiology and cardiac
anesthesia.
A track is a concentrated curriculum on a focused
area presented over a two-day period. A key concept
of the track system is to highlight aspects of subspecialty
care that are of interest to a broad audience. The
new format will foster the integration of subspecialty
anesthesiologists with the needs of the membership
as a whole. The planners of each track have been encouraged
to use both traditional and nontraditional session
formats.
The critical care medicine and neuroanesthesiology
tracks are scheduled for Saturday and Sunday, October
22 and 23, 2005. The obstetric anesthesia and cardiac
anesthesia tracks will take place on Monday and Tuesday,
October 24 and 25. Most 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 each track. The
sessions within each track will occur concurrently
with other educational sessions that are not specifically
part of a track this year.
The critical care track on Saturday and Sunday offers
a unique opportunity for every anesthesiologist to
obtain broad-based education 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.
The neuroanesthesiology track, also on Saturday and
Sunday, will provide a number of different and exciting
educational formats in addition to the traditional
refresher course and panels. One of these is a point/counterpoint
session on brain-function monitors. This track also
includes the plenary session on Sunday, October 23,
featuring Gerald Edelman, M.D., Ph.D., the Nobel Laureate
in Medicine winner in 1972. Dr. Edelman will speak
on “The Neurobiology of Consciousness.”
A panel debate and an oral abstract session on intraoperative
awareness will follow this plenary session.
The obstetric anesthesia material has been planned
to interest anyone who is involved in the care of
pregnant women, combining practical advice with cutting-edge
science. Although most obstetric anesthesia activities,
including clinical forums, panels, poster and poster-discussion
sessions, a pro/con debate and problem-based learning
discussions will be scheduled on Monday and Tuesday,
some obstetric sessions also will be scheduled on
the other days of the meeting.
The cardiac anesthesia track on Monday and Tuesday
will include refresher courses, panels, clinical forums,
oral abstracts, poster discussions, a breakfast panel
and workshops. The track will feature two plenary
sessions, one titled “Heparin: Love-Hate Relationship,”
and the other, “Neuro Outcomes: What Has Really
Changed?”
More than a year ago, the Task Force on Annual Meeting
Opportunities reviewed the structure of the meeting
and recommended the learning track concept and other
changes. The task force has reviewed feedback from
the 2004 Annual Meeting tracks so that ASA could improve
the 2005 meeting. ASA will solicit additional feedback
at the 2005 meeting to be used in planning and improving
the 2006 Annual Meeting.
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