Vanderbilt Anesthesiololgy

An impressive contingent of Vanderbilt Anesthesiology faculty and residents, as well as department alumni, will converge in New Orleans this week, October 16-21, to participate in the American Society of Anesthesiologists (ASA) 2009 Annual Meeting.

Nearly 50 posters — detailing both medically challenging cases and key research — typifying the depth of research and clinical cases handled by the department will be presented by Vanderbilt, many by residents making debut poster presentations. In addition, faculty members will oversee or participate in panel discussions, lead problem-based learning discussions, direct hands-on workshops and participate in key ASA committee meetings.

“The quantity and quality of presentations by members of the department at the meeting was second to none in our history,” said Department Chair Dr. Michael Higgins. “This is a big step towards accomplishing our goal of educating the larger anesthesia community about the excellent programs we have here at Vanderbilt.”

Other meetings held in tandem with the ASA include the American Society of Critical Care Anesthesiologists (ASCCA), the Society for Education in Anesthesiology (SEA) and the International Liver Transplantation Society (ILTS), all of which include several Vanderbilt Anesthesiology Department members playing key roles. At the ASCCA meeting, Dr. Frederick “Josh” Billings will be accepting the distinguished Young Investigator Award and presenting his research, “Early Postoperative Statin Use is Associated with Less Acute Kidney Injury Following Cardiac Surgery.” At the ILTS meeting, Dr. Ann Walia, an international expert in anesthetic care during liver transplantation, will lead a clinical care session, “Hypotension during OLT,” and will be part of a panel discussion on the Liver Transplant Anesthesia Consortium, an international group of medical professionals working toward standardizing and improving care during liver transplants.

During the ASA Annual Meeting, Drs. Arna Banerjee and Jane Easdown, in partnership with anesthesiologists from other top medical centers, will lead a Simulation Workshop, drawing on their leadership experience at the Vanderbilt School of Medicine’s Center for Experiential Learning & Assessment (CELA). CELA, which is housed in Medical Research Building IV, was endorsed in May 2009 by the American Society of Anesthesiologists (ASA) for the delivery of educational offerings to anesthesiologists. With this endorsement, CELA joins the ranks of fewer than two dozen such accredited simulation programs in the United States.

Dr. John Algren, a pediatric anesthesiologist at the Monroe Carrell Jr. Children’s Hospital at Vanderbilt and vice chair for educational affairs for the Department of Anesthesiology, will lead a problem-based learning discussion, “Pain Management Strategies for an Opioid Dependent Child Undergoing Lower Extremity Amputation.” Also during the ASA Annual Meeting, Dr. Sukdeb Datta, Director of the Vanderbilt Interventional Pain Center, will lead a cadaver workshop, “Joint Injections: Fluoroscopic & Ultrasound,” in which he will train other anesthesiologists in this method of targeted pain management. Dr. Datta will also lead a problem-based learning discussion, “Metastatic Prostate Cancer with Back Pain.” In addition, Dr. Datta will give an oral presentation on “Chronic and Cancer Pain,” as well as present new research during an oral discussion, “Differential Effects of CCK-Saporin in Thermal Test in Rats.”

For the second year at ASA, Dr. Jayant Deshpande, anesthesiologist-in-chief at the Children’s Hospital and vice-chair for pediatric anesthesia, will teach a refresher course on pediatric advanced cardiac life support. Dr. William Furman, vice chair for clinical affairs in the Department of Anesthesiology, will teach a refresher course on endocrine emergencies, also for the second year at ASA. Dr. Furman will also lead a problem-based learning discussion, “DNR Orders & Urgent Surgery: Practical and Ethical Considerations.”

These are highlights of the many ASA presentations in which Vanderbilt is taking a lead role – and for good reason. Vanderbilt is one of the five best university hospitals in the United States in reducing patient mortality – and members of the Department of Anesthesiology were key players in achieving that goal. The Vanderbilt Department of Anesthesiology continues to have one of the top 10 extramurally funded research programs in the U.S. As a result of excellent research support services, the department has tripled the number of investigator-initiated research projects over the past three years. Exemplary showings of our department members’ research and commitment to patient safety at national gatherings such as the ASA Annual Meeting are the perfect opportunity to get the word out: Vanderbilt Department of Anesthesiology is one of the top academic departments in the country.