Ellison C. Pierce Lecture: Anesthesia Patient Safety: Closing the Gap Between Perception and Reality

Saturday, October 21 | 1:10 – 2:10 p.m.
Presented by: Robert K. Stoelting, M.D.
What started with a vision that “no patient shall be harmed by anesthesia” which quickly became what is now the Anesthesia Patient Safety Foundation. Join us for a review of patient safety initiatives and discover the steps necessary to reduce adverse events in the perioperative period. Strategies for closing the gap between the perception of safety and the reality that much remains to be accomplished will also be discussed.

SOAP/FAER Gertie Marx Plenary Lecture: Links to Improving Anesthesia Outcomes

Sunday, October 22 | 7:45 – 8:45 a.m.
Presented by: Robert D’Angelo, M.D.
Learn what is known about serious complications related to obstetric anesthesia and a framework being implemented to reduce incidences. Be introduced to the Anesthesia Incident Reporting System (AIRS) complication registries, and deepen your understanding of how they can be used to anonymously report detailed information about serious adverse events. Discover how this information could alter future anesthesia practices in ways that improve obstetric anesthesia outcomes.

WLM Lewis H. Wright Lecture: A History of Neuroscience Research in Anesthesiology

Sunday, October 22 | 8 – 9:15 a.m.
Presented by: Emery N. Brown, M.D., Ph.D.
Dr. Brown will describe how neuroscience has been used to study anesthesiology and how anesthesia has been used in neuroscience studies. He will explain why anesthesiology has been viewed as a sub-discipline of applied pharmacology and not as a clinical neuroscience subspecialty like neurology, neurosurgery, psychiatry, sleep medicine and psychology. Finally, Dr. Brown will define the role of neuroscience in modern anesthesiology research and demonstrate the impact of this research on the translation of neuroscience ideas into anesthesiology practice.

Emery A. Rovenstine Memorial Lecture: Quality Anesthesia: Medicine Measures – Patient's Decide

Monday, October 23 | 8 – 9:15 a.m.
Presented by: Lee A. Fleisher, M.D.
Gain insights about the history of quality measurement within anesthesia that began in 1935 with the establishment of the Anesthesia Study Commissions by Henry S. Ruth, M.D., through modern studies of quality and outcomes related to anesthesia, including the Confidential Enquiries in England. Different measures of quality will be discussed including those developed by ASA and utilized by federal bodies to measure and incentivize anesthesiologists. With the rise of consumerism in medicine, the need to focus on patient-centered outcomes and desires has become critical. This includes the concept of shared accountability for outcomes which we have traditionally not viewed as under our purview. As one example, the brain health initiative has the potential for anesthesiologists to assume leadership in patient education, preparation and perioperative strategies to ensure cognitive recovery after surgery.

The following awards will be presented at the Rovenstine Lecture:

• Distinguished Service Award: Norman A. Cohen, M.D.
• Excellence in Research: Paul S. Myles, M.B.B.S.
• James E. Cottrell, M.D., Presidential Scholar Award: Chad M. Brummet, M.D.
• Nicholas M. Greene, M.D., Outstanding Humanitarian Contribution Award

John W. Severinghaus Lecture on Translational Science: Electroencephalography in Anesthesiology: Past, Present and Future

Tuesday, October 24 | 11 – Noon
Presented by: Emery N. Brown, M.D., Ph.D.
Hans Berger made the first electroencephalogram (EEG) recordings of humans in 1929. Eight years later, F.A. Gibbs, W.A. Gibbs and W.G. Lennox published “Effect on the electroencephalogram of certain drugs which influence nervous activity.” In this work, the authors described their use of the EEG to study different states of altered arousal in patients receiving a broad range of anesthetic and non-anesthetic drugs. This year marks 80 years since the publication of this seminal paper. During this time, the EEG has been studied extensively to help understand the neurophysiology of how anesthetics act in the brain to create the states of general anesthesia and also as a way to define markers of general anesthesia useful for monitoring patients’ brain states during surgery.

In the 2017 Severinghaus Lecture, Dr. Brown will review some of the historical milestones in the use of the EEG as a basic science tool to understand the neurophysiology of general anesthesia and as a clinical tool for monitoring patients receiving anesthesia care. The lecture will be divided into four parts. Part 1 will review the early studies of the EEG to identify signatures of anesthetic agents. Part 2 will focus on research establishing use of EEG signatures as a way to track the brain states of patients under general anesthesia. In part 3, Dr. Brown will discuss the development and use of EEG-based indices to monitor the brain states of patients receiving general anesthesia. And in part 4 he will discuss the rolethe EEG is currently playing in the development of systems neuroscience paradigms to understand the mechanisms of anesthetic action and to develop new strategies for monitoring the brain states of patients receiving general anesthesia and sedation.

History Panel: Improving Patient Outcomes: A Romp Through the History of Anesthesiology

Sunday, October 22 | 9:50 – 11:50 a.m.
Presented by: Douglas R. Bacon, M.D., M.A.
The history of anesthesiologists in improving patient outcomes is fascinating. From an RCA at the turn of the 20th century, the search for the perfect anesthetic agent, the best way to intubate the trachea, preanesthetic assessment in the late 19th century to the ongoing fluid therapy controversy, this panel will highlight the very interesting history of some of our most vexing problems.

Celebration of Research

Monday, October 23 | 9:35 – 11:05 a.m.
Presented by: Evan D Kharasch, M.D., Ph.D.
The Celebration of Research will take place after the Emery A. Rovenstine Memorial Lecture. The recipients of the 2017 ASA Excellence in Research Award and the James E. Cottrell, M.D., Presidential Scholar Award will present brief lectures on their research accomplishments. The Mentoring Excellence in Research Award recipient from the Academy of Research Mentors in Anesthesiology and the winner of the Resident Research Essay contest will be announced, and there will be a brief update on FAER activities. Don’t miss out on this exciting session to see your peers being honored.

FAER-Helrich Research Lecture: Consciousness and the Dying Brain

Monday, October 23 | 1:10 – 2:10 p.m.
Presented by: George Mashour, M.D., Ph.D.
This FAER-Helrich Lecture will focus on the near death experience, which affects 10-20% of patients who suffer cardiac arrest. The lecture will describe how the neurobiology of consciousness, as well as techniques to monitor anesthetic-induced unconsciousness, have informed the first scientific investigations of the near death experience.

Wood Library-Museum of Anesthesiology Patrick Sim Forum on the History of Anesthesiology: What is the Most Interesting Event in the History of Anesthesia?

Monday, October 23 | 2-4 p.m.
Presented by: David B. Waisel, M.D.
Boston is the home of riveting developments in anesthesiology. Leading anesthesia historians will discuss what they believe to be the most gripping, provocative and compelling events in the annals of anesthesia. The international training, practice and historical expertise of these unorthodox scholars will bring electrifying and radical perspectives to this question.