IARS 2017
Report from IARS meeting, May 4-9, 2017, Washington, DC
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ISPCOP was well represented at this year’s IARS scientific annual meeting with multiple events either hosted by ISPCOP or presented by ISPCOP board members.
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ISPCOP Panel
This year's ISPCOP panel at the IARS was focusing on "Closed Claims and Key Safety Considerations in Patients and Parturients with Obesity". Despite a late afternoon start time on Monday of the meeting, approximately 50 participants attended this panel. Dr. Roman Schumann from Tufts University in Boston opened the session with a brief introduction to the topic context and the speakers. Dr. Karen B. Domino from the University of Washington in Seattle presented new data from the anesthesia Closed Claims Project. Following an overview of the closed claims methodology, the audience learned that the data confirm the sense that airway management issues remain a major concern for bad outcomes in the obese population while some other adverse events are not more frequent compared to normal weight patients. Actual case synopses helped to illustrate the abstracted data. Dr. Michael Margarson from Chichester, UK, Vice-Chairman of the Society for Obesity and Bariatric Anesthesia (SOBA), presented a transatlantic view regarding the safety recommendations for the perioperative care of the obese patient. Results from the NAP4 and 5 studies were presented as they relate to obesity, and he reported new insights regarding the timing and dosing of induction drug administration for morbidly obese patients. Data from a survey of bariatric anesthesiologists in the UK point to interesting persisting controversies among experts regarding the use of succinylcholine and other common practices. The final speaker was Dr. Vilma Ortiz from the Massachusetts General Hospital in Boston. Her talk on Maternal Obesity: Medical Consequences and Infrastructure Needed for Safe Care of the Obese Parturient highlighted the effects of obesity on maternal and fetal outcomes and provided a thorough overview of systems requirements for facilities who care for this challenging population in an appropriate and dignified manner.
Dr. Naveen Eipe
Dr. Naveen Eipe from the University of Ottawa in Canada and the current ISPCOP VP for Education presented a refresher course lecture on the topic of predicting and managing "MODA": the morbid obesity difficult airway. Dr. Eipe created this novel acronym and suggested a stepwise approach to intubation and extubation in morbidly obese patients. This was a very well attended event, and his lecture was featured as a program highlight by the IARS.
Dr. Eipe also presented his findings from a study entitled: "Does Intra-Peritoneal Local Anesthetic Improve Outcomes in ERABS-A Double Blind RCT" in a moderated poster session.
Dr. Tiffany Moon from the University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center and an ISPCOP board member presented an abstract entitled "Predictors of difficult intubation: a prospective study of 1351 patients". Her work was chosen as a finalist for the annual Kosaka award for the best abstract in category. In addition she reported that "Morbid obesity is not a risk factor for difficult intubation" during a moderated poster discussion on Monday of the meeting.
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Outside the Meeting
ISPCOP members and collaborators also had an opportunity to network and to meet outside of the meeting to share some lighter moments of entertainment and fun.
