Highlights from the 2011 Annual Meeting of the American Society of Anesthesiolgists October 15–19, 2011 Chicago, Illinois

Column Editor: Stephanie B. Jones, MD

Dr. Jones is Vice Chair for Education, Department of Anesthesia, Critical Care and Pain Medicine, Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center, Boston, Massachusetts

by Stephanie B. Jones, MD, and Roman Schumann, MD

Dr. Schumann, is Associate Professor of Anesthesiology, Tufts University School of Medicine, Tufts Medical Center, Department of Anesthesiology.

Bariatric Times. 2011;8(12):10

The International Society for the Perioperative Care of the Obese Patient (ISPCOP) continued its steady rise in membership and activity at the 2011 annual meeting of the American Society of Anesthesiologists (ASA), October 15 to 19, in Chicago, Illinois. Active and prospective members met to discuss the mission of the organization and plans for the future. The presence of an international group of experts led to a lively discussion, but the following top priorities quickly emerged: education of anesthetic providers and the perioperative team caring for the ever-increasing population of patients with obesity, and spearheading research efforts in order to improve that care. Toward those ends, the group made significant headway during the ASA, with several members presenting scientific abstracts or moderating educational and scientific sessions.

A panel entitled “Obesity, Morbid Obesity, and Ultra Obesity: The Large Challenge in Anesthesia,” was particularly well attended. The session was moderated by Dr. Ashish Sinha (University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania), and the speakers were all ISPCOP members, including Dr. Jay Brodsky (Stanford University, California), Dr. Luc De Baerdemaeker (University of Ghent, Belgium), Dr. Adrian Alvarez (Hospital Italiano, Buenos Aires, Argentina), Dr. Patrick Neligan (Galway University Hospital, Ireland), and Dr. Anupama Wadhwa (University of Louisville, Kentucky).

ISPCOP also sponsored an educational booth for the first time during the exhibit hours from Saturday through Monday. The main feature of the exhibit was an interactive educational survey tool prepared by ISPCOP members and offered to interested clinicians. This survey, while an educational tool, was also designed as an institutional review board (IRB)-approved (Tufts University, Boston, Massachusetts), anonymous study for knowledge assessment of anesthesiology clinicians in the area of anesthetic care for the patient with obesity. This iPad-supported application attracted attention during booth hours, and participants provided insightful feedback for the investigators. It was also a first opportunity to test this wireless application in the setting of a major meeting. A total of 97 visitors started the survey, and 72 clinicians completed it. Survey participants included medical students, trainees, and anesthesiologists, with a majority being practicing anesthesiologists at various levels of postgraduate experience. Those from outside the United States had traveled from Canada (n=5), South America (n=4), Europe (n=17), Egypt (n=1), and New Zealand (n=1). Investigators found that most participants practiced in academic environments rather than private practice.
Participants who completed the survey were entered in a prize lottery. One copy of the second edition of “Morbid Obesity: Peri-Operative Management,”[1] and one free meeting registration for the World Congress of Anesthesiologists 2012 went to the two selected winners.

The survey data are presently being analyzed in detail, and updates will follow. The investigators goal is to refine the survey tool and apply the next iteration at the upcoming World Congress of Anesthesiologists in Buenos Aires, Argentina in March 2012.

ISPCOP members participated in a roundtable discussion on current research projects and possibilities for multicenter and multinational protocols. The proposals were far-ranging, encompassing multiple aspects of perioperative care. Examples include the following: 1) laparoscopic workspace and abdominal compliance, 2) implications of obesity and pneumoperitoneum on lung compliance, 3) the relationship between chronic pain and body mass index (BMI), 4) the use and proper dosing of paracetamol in the patient with obesity, 5) how and where to measure blood pressure most accurately, and 6) the use of thoracic epidural as the primary surgical anesthetic. Future discussions will narrow down the list to focus on those projects with the highest likelihood for success in a multicenter format as well as third-party funding. Education proposals included updating existing best-practice literature and the creation of simulation scenarios pertinent to the patient with obesity.

During the ISPCOP business meeting, a fresh slate of officers and a Board of Directors were elected (see sidebar “ISPCOP Officers and Board of Directors”).

In addition, founding members Dr. Adrian Alvarez and Dr. Jay Brodsky were awarded lifetime honorary memberships for their contributions to ISPCOP.

Most importantly with respect to this publication, we wish to serve the needs of the readership. The collective perioperative knowledge of ISPCOP members is vast, but we need to know where to start.

What would you like to see presented in future installemnts of this column? Please forward suggestions, comments, and/or questions to [email protected].

References
1.    Alvarez A, Brodsky J, Lemmens H, Morton J, eds. Morbid Obesity: Peri-Operative Management. Second Edition. Cambridge, United Kingdom: Cambridge University Press, 2010.

Category: Anesthetic Aspects of Bariatric Surgery, Past Articles