Dr. DiazWelcome From the Annual Meeting Program Chair

It is with great pleasure that I invite you to celebrate the 30th Annual Meeting of the Society for Pediatric Anesthesia.  The meeting will be held in downtown Chicago on Friday, October 21, 2016. We have compiled an excellent group of national and international speakers that will focus on three topics with high impact on the current pediatric anesthesia practice.

Immunology is a rapidly advancing science. Dr. John Routes will kick off our meeting by providing a practical review of the field for anesthesiologists, followed by Dr. Robert Brown who will discuss how allergies and anaphylaxis affect anesthesia practice. Dr. Patrick Fernandez will particularly focus on food allergies, which show an increasing incidence in our patients. Finally, Dr. Juan Cata will provide an overview of the impact of anesthesia on immunomodulation. More and more research suggests that the choice of anesthetic technique has significant effects on our patients’ long-term outcome.

The program will also examine the changing landscape of medical reimbursement, quality and safety initiatives, and patient satisfaction.  Dr. Lynne Ferrari will describe how the Perioperative Surgical Home fits into the Pediatric Anesthesia care model and can ultimately improve patient care.  Dr. Vidya Raman and Dr. Karen Thomson will present their experiences of setting up two different Perioperative Surgical Home models at their own institutions.

The afternoon will focus on anesthetics performed Outside the Operating Room, which present their very own challenges.  Dr. Dawit Haile will describe photon and radiation therapy as well as MIBG Scans.  Expect to gain new insights into this unique environment and their anesthetic needs.  Also, Dr. Rahul Baijal will present the new Cath Lab consensus statement.  And, in what is sure to be a lively debate, Drs. Randall Wetzel and Samuel Yanofsky will examine the role of the anesthesiologist vs. other specialists with regard to sedation services. 

Will you travel into Space? We will conclude this anniversary meeting with a fascinating discussion of the physiologic changes in the human body while in space.  Dr. Matthieu Komorowski, an anesthesiologist himself, will describe the anesthetic implications of low gravity and how to set up an anesthesia model in space.   We will explore the limitations and the exciting new challenges associated with such a task and conclude our meeting with music and a reception under the stars at the Adler Planetarium.

I wish to acknowledge the significant contributions of Dr. Dan Roke (Meeting Co-Chair), Dr. Randall Flick (Education Committee Chair), Dr. Nina Deutsch (2015 Meeting Chair), Dr. Debnathe Chatterjee, and Kim Battle in creating this program.
I hope to welcome you to what is sure to be a valuable and “out of this world” education meeting. 

See you in Chicago!

Sincerely,

Christina D. Diaz, MD
Program Chair

 

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