Volume 30 | Issue 2 | May 2019

Communication is the action of exchanging information and ideas. It is a give and take. It is a part of our everyday lives…in the everyday interactions we have with our families, friends, co-workers, patients and their families. Communication is a two-way street and relies on a free-flowing give and take of ideas.

As we approach the annual SOCCA meeting, it is a great time to reflect on the benefits of being a member of SOCCA. We, therefore, asked a few current SOCCA members why they belong and this is what we heard.

According to SOCCA bylaws, the work of the nominating committee is to recommend a slate of candidates for board and executive committee elections to the SOCCA board, and to suggest candidates for the two awards given out by SOCCA in alternate years: the Burchardi and Lifetime Achievement awards.

An important and exciting role for Critical Care Anesthesiologists is the development and utilization of new tools and therapies to treat patients with severe, life-threatening injuries. It seems as though every time I round in the ICU, I encounter something new in one or more of my patients.

As a Critical Care Anesthesiologist, do you ever wonder what to say when the nurse asks you what blood pressure you want to target? Or do you ever wonder if all the effort you have put into resuscitating your patients is successful? Are you confused about how to use new and novel technologies to measure end-organ perfusion? Then you definitely need to attend this panel at the upcoming SOCCA 2019 Annual Meeting and Critical Care Update.

Many of us grew up in an era prior to the rise of social media and the continuous 24/7 availability that technologies provide (or inflict) on us. As a Critical Care Anesthesiologist, I work to provide the best care to my patients and social media may provide me with an opportunity to learn about new research and to interact with my peers and peer researchers in a more rapid and effective manner.

As Critical Care Anesthesiologists, we are responsible for diagnosing organ dysfunction, treating various pathologies, coordinating care with consultants and nurses, and communication with patients and their families. We support patients and families through the phases of illness and recovery, and, at times, we shepherd them through palliation and changes in goals of care.

Have you visited SOCCA’s Job Board recently? Recent listings highlight a position with the University of Louisville School of Medicine Department of Cardiovascular and Thoracic Surgery.

Subramaniam B, Shankar P, Shaefi S, et al. Effect of intravenous acetaminophen vs placebo combined with propofol or dexmedetomidine on postoperative delirium among older patients following cardiac surgery: the DEXACET randomized clinical trial.

When discussing physician wellness, it is hard to avoid the most profound expression of unhappiness and despair, that of ending one’s own life. Suicide among physicians has been a hot topic lately, and rightly so: it is commonly cited that between 300 and 400 physicians in the United States take their own lives every year.

Wasserstein RL, Lazar NA. The ASA’s Statement on p-Values: Context, Process, and Purpose. The American Statistician. 2016;70(2):129-133.

I was pleased to review Hematologic Challenges in the Critically Ill (1st edition, October 30, 2018, Springer Publishing, ISBN 13: 978-3319935713, 437 pages, $159.99) which was edited by Dr. Howard L. Corwin and SOCCA past president Dr. Aryeh Shander. The books was written by dozens of contributors from across the globe. In their comprehensive volume, Drs. Shander and Corwin describe the pathophysiology of hematologic disorders and explore the latest evidence-based assessment and treatment of anemia and coagulopathy in the critically ill.

If you have an interesting case report, an idea for a pro-con discussion, a review idea, or an opinion on a recently published article, please review the submission guidelines, then submit your proposal/ article to the Newsletter Editor, Kevin Hatton, MD at [email protected] on or before June 28, 2019. If your article is chosen for the newsletter, we will contact you for editing and formatting. Thank you.