he 2007 Annual Meeting this October in San Francisco will feature 66 scientific and educational exhibits as well as poster sessions of the popular new section on medically challenging cases. Some of the exhibits will focus on: airway management; pain management; peripheral nerve blocks, including use of ultrasound techniques; and education, including use of computers, hand-held devices and simulators. Exhibits concerning the ambulatory patient and the patient being cared for in the office-based setting also are planned. Administrative exhibits will provide information on anesthesia in developing countries, airway management, trauma, sleep apnea and care of the geriatric patient as well as many other topics.

The scientific and educational exhibit format provides a forum whereby viewers can spend time interacting with exhibitors and gain in-depth knowledge about the topic being presented. It is an excellent opportunity to exchange ideas, discuss concepts, learn about new ideas and technology and enhance your skills by practicing the techniques being exhibited. Exhibitors will use charts, posters, diagrams, models and interactive educational tools. Some of the exhibits allow viewers to gain hands-on experience with medical devices and techniques that are relatively new to the field of anesthesiology or are important for the practicing physician to master.

Exhibits can be viewed at Moscone Center on Sunday, October 14, from 12:30 p.m. to 6 p.m. and on Monday and Tuesday, October 15-16, from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. On Sunday there will be an exhibit hall reception from 4:30 p.m. to 6 p.m. during which time both the technical and scientific exhibits will be open for viewing. Exhibits will be evaluated by members of the Committee on Scientific and Educational Exhibits on Sunday afternoon. Awards will be presented for those exhibits that are considered to be superior in terms of originality, clinical relevance, scientific merit and visual impact.

Take the Challenge!
This will be the third year that the Annual Meeting has a section devoted to medically challenging cases. Last year more than 250 cases were presented. This section provides an opportunity for clinicians to present a difficult case that they have handled. The challenging case format provides an excellent forum for a lively discussion and an opportunity for the viewer to suggest how they would have handled the situation. There is still time to submit a medically challenging case for the October meeting in San Francisco as the deadline is not until August 1, 2007. To submit a medically challenging case, access the ASA Web site at www2.ASAhq.org and click on the link “Medically Challenging Cases Submissions.”

I would like to express my gratitude to the members of the Committee on Scientific and Educational Exhibits: James G. Benonis, M.D., Gregory J. Crosby, M.D., Eugene S. Fu, M.D., Michael E. Goldberg, M.D., John B. Leslie, M.D., M.B.A., Michael H. Mendeszoon, M.D., Andranik Ovassapian, M.D., Erin A. Sullivan, M.D., and Santhanam Suresh, M.D.

Andrew D. Rosenberg, M.D., is Chair, Department of Anesthesiology, New York University Hospital for Joint Diseases and Clinical Professor of Anesthesiology and Orthopedic Surgery, New York University School of Medicine, New York, New York.