ANZCA Bulletin June 2012 - final.pdf - Australian and New Zealand ...

“ Our aviator had asimple answer forthe problem offatigue – ‘Getmore sleep!’Scientific program hits the markwith interest and innovationThe largest anaesthesia conference yet tobe held in Perth, the 2012 ANZCA AnnualScientific Meeting offered 13 plenarypresentations, 178 concurrent sessionpresentations, 47 workshops, 42 smallgroup discussions and QA sessions and59 ePoster presentations.It was gratifying to receive a great deal ofpositive feedback about the scope andquality of the scientific program fromboth the overseas invited speakers anddelegates, the few complaints from thelatter relating to the fact that they could notattend all the sessions that attracted them!Much of the success resulted from thediversity of the program, which deliberatelyincluded many speakers from other medicalspecialties and non-medical disciplines,including intensivists, cardiologists,haematologists, microbiologists, surgeons,maternal and fetal medicine specialists,paediatricians, scientists and pilots.The Masterclass series met the needs ofthose wishing to update or learn aboutcurrent best practice; the Patient BloodManagement sessions covered bothnew science and the successful WesternAustralian initiative into improvedperioperative care of anaemia andevidence-based blood transfusion practices;and the Harvard-based TRIAD groupchallenged and enriched our thinking indealing with difficult conversations andthe complexities of human behaviouralresponses.The other key factor lay in the exceptionalquality of the presentations. All credit isdue to the more than 250 presenters andfacilitators, starting with our featuredinvited speakers – Professor Ruth Landau,Professor Patrick Wouters, Professor HenrikKehlet, Professor Joseph Neal, AssociateProfessor Andrew Davidson and Dr DanBennett – and finishing with a outstandinghypothetical session hosted by Dr AndrewMiller, the medical equivalent of GeoffreyRobertson and Billy Connolly.In line with the theme of our meeting– Evolution: Grow, Develop, Thrive – wesought contributions from our invitedspeakers that covered new and developingareas of practice: pharmocogenetics,point-of-care monitoring, the applicationof ultrasound and echocardiography andadvances in the management of acute andchronic pain.The program emphasised the importanceof our training and non-technical skills,with lectures and workshops devotedto the new ANZCA curriculum, research,communication skills, simulation andwelfare. Our aviator had a simple answer forthe problem of fatigue – “Get more sleep”!and our negotiation counsellor had a similarmessage – “Listen”!The ANZCA ASM plays an importantrole in showcasing the growth of ourunderstanding and knowledge throughscientific endeavour. To this end, theLennard Travers Professor, AssociateProfessor Andrew Davidson, clarifiedwhat is meant by “translation research”and the Gilbert Brown Prize sessionshowcased our young achievers. Thesewere complemented by the ANZCAFormal Project session, the Open Posterand Trainee Poster prizes; and the FPMDean’s Prize and Free Paper session.Congratulations to respective ANZCAprize winners Dr Mary Hegarty, Dr RohanMahendran, Dr Paul Stewart and Dr StanleyTay; and to the FPM Best Free Paper winner,Dr Sarika Kumar.The introduction of ePosters appearedwell received and offers greater scopeto presenters than the traditional posterformat.Finally, we thank our colleagues whoworked tirelessly to run a smoothmeeting bursting with information andentertainment. Special mention goes to ouramazing convenors, Dr Tanya Farrell andDr David Vyse, and organising committeemembers Dr Soo Im Lim, Dr LiezelBredenkamp, Dr Markus Schmidt and Dr EdO’Loughlin, who were heavily involved inorganising the scientific program.Clinical Professor Tomas Corcoranand Professor Michael Paech,Scientific Program Co-convenors15