Volume 34 | Issue 4 | Dec 2023

Join us for the 2024 Annual Meeting, presented by IARS and SOCCA in Seattle, May 17-19. The education committee has created an outstanding program with a critical-care track running concurrently throughout the meeting. The format and content of the meeting look extraordinary, with more critical-care content than we have ever had before. There will be three SOCCA-sponsored breakfasts, and all committees and subcommittees will have the opportunity to meet in person throughout the meeting. In addition, a dedicated SOCCA session will run on Sunday afternoon until about 5PM, including additional educational panels, the SOCCA awards presentations, and the SOCCA business meeting. I hope everyone stays for the entire duration of this exciting meeting. Continue Reading…

Our committee has experienced a dynamic year, marked by significant accomplishments. In September 2023, we released one of our largest issues to commemorate Women in Medicine Month, featuring insightful contributions from several of our dedicated members. The response was exceptional, reflecting our commitment to celebrating diversity and excellence in our field. Continue Reading…

As the new year approaches, the education committee would like to announce some new and exciting changes to the structure of the education committee, as well as our offerings for 2024.  As you will read in this month’s Interchange, the SOCCA component of the 2024 Annual Meeting in Seattle will be undergoing significant changes. We are excited that we will now be able to incorporate three days’ worth of educational offerings as a part of the combined IARS/SOCCA meeting. With this change likely to last beyond 2024, the Annual Meeting subcommittee will be continuing our work on grading and developing annual meeting content for years to come. Continue Reading…

We would like to share with the SOCCA membership some of the changes around the annual meeting for 2024 as well as for future meetings. Unlike previous years where SOCCA had a separate meeting (a day before the IARS meeting) with a sprinkle of SOCCA sessions during the IARS meeting, the 2024 annual meeting in Seattle will be a combined IARS/SOCCA meeting. What this entails is an integration of SOCCA sessions within the IARS meeting, and the creation of a separate “critical care track” exclusively for content related to critical care medicine. This would ensure that SOCCA educational sessions will run throughout the duration of the meeting. Continue Reading…

The integration of Artificial Intelligence (AI) in various industries has progressed rapidly in medicine, particularly in critical care. The number of articles published regarding AI in critical care medicine tripled from 2018 to 2020.¹ From the use of AI to predict the likelihood of sepsis, intensive care unit (ICU) mortality, and length of stay, many predictive models have been developed for use in the ICU setting. It is essential for the modern intensivist to understand the basics of how AI works and how to analyze studies based on AI. This article aims to fulfill these two goals and provide a foundation of knowledge that can be used to implement AI in your practice. Continue Reading…

Identifying the underlying cause of clinical deterioration in postoperative patients in the intensive care unit (ICU) can be difficult. AI can assist in identifying the root cause of clinical deterioration in postoperative patients in the ICU by predicting adverse events and providing a more precise diagnosis earlier and more accurately than human effort alone¹. Continue Reading…

SOCCA WICC ended the year with a Fireside chat featuring three Intensivists in different phases of their career to share their unique journeys in academia, professional life, and career challenges. Drs. Sheela Pai Cole, Brigid Flynn, and Emily Vail joined Drs. Tabaie and Siddiqui to host the fourth and final Fireside Chat for WICC in November. Dr. Tabaie moderated the panel and asked varied questions of the speakers about mentorship, balancing academic focus and clinical demands, strategies for saying ‘no’ to opportunities when stretched, and pulling back and re-engaging with an academic career due to family obligations. The panelists spoke with candor and authenticity and shared wise pearls of experiential learning and advice on resilience. The chat provided a welcome semi-formal atmosphere for the audience to hear from successful academic intensivists and have them share workplace experiences, offering a space for support and for practicing methods to achieve career advancement. Continue Reading…

As we wrap up this year, we would like to take this opportunity to highlight the Intensivists in Private Practice subcommittee and provide an update on some of our recent activities. 
Many of the medical professional societies and organizations are tailored to physicians in academic practice. However, approximately 70% of hospital care delivered in the United States is provided by non-academic facilities. Continue Reading…

Anesthesia Critical Care Medicine (ACCM) is the oldest ACGME board-certified subspecialty within Anesthesiology, and similar to other subspecialty fellowship training programs, our growth has outpaced the current interest in our field. This year’s match proved again to be difficult for many programs in light of the low application numbers. Continue Reading…

It is an exciting time to pursue an anesthesiology fellowship in critical care medicine (CCM). As we emerge from COVID-19, there is a renewed energy for scientific investigations, making connections, and integrating wellness strategies to mitigate burnout. Technological advances in hemodynamic monitoring, the use of artificial intelligence or data analytics, and application of novel biomarkers are all captivating areas of investigation. Moreover, the integration of bedside point-of-care ultrasound (POCUS) continues to grow and offers opportunities to be at the forefront of clinical care. Continue Reading…

The SOCCA Service Chiefs’ Advisory Council (SCAC) aims to include representatives from every organization with an active anesthesiology critical care practice, specifically the one or two individuals with the broadest and most directly relevant administrative purview from each organization. Continue Reading…