Meeting Review
Report of the Annual Scientific Meeting of the Neuroanaesthesia and Critical Care Society of Great Britain and Ireland (NACCSGBI) – ASM 2017, London
Barkha Bindu, Senior Resident
Hemanshu Prabhakar, Professor
Department of Neuroanaesthesiology and Critical Care,
All India Institute of Medical Sciences,
New Delhi, India
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| John Andrzejowski, MD |
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| Adrian Gelb, MBBS |
The Institution of Engineering and Technology (IET), Savoy Place, London, was the venue for the Annual Scientific Meeting (ASM) 2017 of the Neuroanaesthesia and Critical Care Society of Great Britain and Ireland (NACCSGBI). The meeting was held on May 18-19, 2017 and attended by over 350 delegates from across the world. The ASM 2017 was a joint meeting with the Society for Neuroscience in Anesthesiology and Critical Care (SNACC) with the theme of “Best Practices and Improving Care.”
The excellently prepared scientific programme had something to offer everyone - the trainees, fellows and practitioners. The first day began with a welcome address by NACCSGBI President John Andrzejowski, which was followed by a lecture about the history of SNACC. Professor Andrew Kofke took the delegates down memory lane and shared some of the important dates in the historical timelines of the two Societies. The first session was themed Improving Outcome Lessons from Our Colleagues. Dr. Tim Wigmore delivered a lecture about TIVA and Cancer followed by a lecture about Big Data and Outcomes by Professor Rupert Pearse. Parallel breakout sessions included case-based discussions and workshops about the Clinical Conundrum’s by Dr. Matthew Wiles and Professor Adrian Gelb, and EEG for Neuroanaesthesia by Dr. Lorenzo Dimpel. Dr. Elfyn Thomas chaired the pre-lunch mini symposium about Neural Mechanisms of Anaesthetic-Induced Unconsciousness. There were presentations by Dr. Katie Warnaby and Dr. George Mashour (SNACC President). This was followed by the Annual General Meeting of the NACCSGBI. Professor Judith Dinsmore was announced as the new President of NACCSGBI.
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| W. Andrew Kofke, MD, MBA, FCCM |
Post-lunch, an interesting session about Enhanced Recovery Pathways was chaired by Dr. Justine Elliott. Dr. Jeffery Pasternak talked about application of enhanced recovery pathways in spine surgery and highlighted the outcomes and financial benefits of enhanced recovery after surgery (ERAS) in spine surgeries. The second speaker, Dr. Lashmi Venkatraghaven from Toronto, discussed enhanced recovery after cranial surgery. Finally, Professor Mike Grocott talked about critical care aspects of enhanced recovery.
The last session of the day staged a debate about Whether a Formal Neuroanaesthetic Fellowship Makes a Difference, with Dr. Rafi Avitsian proposing for the motion and Dr. Mike Nathanson speaking against the motion. Surgical Commander Kate Prior delivered a lecture about Lessons from the Battlefield and discussed optimal care from battlefield to critical care. Following this was a lecture about the Emergency Department by Dr. Matthew Wiles, who discussed the use of ketamine and blood pressure targets in the acute phase after traumatic brain injury (TBI). Finally, Dr. Michael “Luke” James, discussed the critical care management of TBI patients.
The day concluded with the president’s reception at the IET followed by a musical evening and dinner. NACCSGBI President Judith Dinsmore thanked all the delegates for their participation, especially mentioning the Indian delegation, members of the Indian Society of Neuroanesthesiology and Critical Care (ISNACC), which is affiliated with both NACCSGBI and SNACC. There was an opportunity for the delegates to interact with each other during the dinner.
The first session on the second day of the meeting, was a mini symposium about Reducing Perioperative Complications during which Professor Gelb delivered a lecture about Perioperative Stroke. These were followed by a lecture about Postoperative Visual Loss by Dr. Rafi Avitsian. Dr. Andrew Kofke then lectured about Anaesthesia for Thrombectomy. The poster sessions, chaired by Dr. Matthew Wiles commenced after a short break for refreshments. A total of six oral presentations and a travel award were presented. The parallel breakout sessions included workshops about Neuromonitoring in Theatre and NICU by Dr. Ahmed Toma and Dexmedetomidine in Neuroanaesthesia and Neuroradiology by Dr. Joe Sebastian.
In the post-lunch session titled Controversies in Neurocritical Care, Professor Martin Smith lectured about Controversies in Brain Death; highlighting the major international differences in criteria for determination of brain death. He also emphasized the need for a consensus to standardize practices. Professor David Menon discussed various trials related to TBI and the significance of providing consistent critical care in these patients.
The concluding session of the meeting was chaired by Professor Judith Dinsmore. Baroness Susan Greenfield delivered the McDowell lecture entitled Perceptions of Consciousness.
The meeting concluded with prize presentations for Best Oral Paper and Best Poster Presentation. It was officially announced that the next ASM would be held in Bristol on May 10-11, 2018.
