There was a moment during Sunday’s first-ever Charitable Networking Event when Alexander A. Hannenberg, M.D., ASA Charitable Foundation Board Member, knew without question that the event’s attendees were getting a take-away message they wouldn’t soon forget:

Clinical decision support from a cognitive computing system called Watson is already a reality in oncology practice. Watson, or one of its successors, will almost certainly be providing anesthesiology recommendations in the very near future.

There is a “silver tsunami” of growing evidence that anesthesia could pose a greater risk of cognitive side effects for the elderly when compared to younger patients, but steps can be taken to proactively identify those patients at risk for postoperative cognitive dysfunction (POCD).

Coagulopathy following traumatic injury is a threat to patients and a challenge for physician anesthesiologists, but treatment refinements — some learned from the military — are making a difference. A few of these advances were explored in a Problem-Based Learning Discussion Tuesday.

Pediatric tonsillectomy and adenoidectomy (TNA) is a common and usually uncomplicated surgery. But adding Down syndrome to the mix can add significant difficulties.

Many attendees have been tweeting and posting about the ANESTHESIOLOGY 2015 annual meeting education, exhibits, special events and San Diego in general. Thank you to all those who have added meaningful conversation throughout these outlets. We awarded the most active members as our “Social Media Star of the Day.”

The meeting is almost over, so before they started planning for the 2016 meeting in Chicago, the Daily News asked ASA members to share their highlights while in San Diego.

More preoperative clinics are looking at becoming perioperative clinics and becoming part of a Perioperative Surgical Home (PSH) program. A session today will feature four presentations looking at what is required in that transition and what hurdles may need to be cleared in the process.