During the question-and-answer portion of Monday’s “Strategic Dialogue on the Future of Anesthesiology” session, former ASA Vice President for Scientific Affairs Arnold J. Berry, M.D., M.P.H., began his comments by paraphrasing Ronald Reagan: “Status quo is Latin for ‘what got us into this mess.’”

In the O.R., time is money. To run an O.R. efficiently, “reduce your hours of over-utilization,” said Franklin Dexter, M.D., Ph.D. In other words, do what you can to avoid ending later than scheduled.

The perioperative treatment of geriatric patients is a challenge because increases in frailty and comorbidities affect how the elderly react to anesthesia and the insult of surgery. Two speakers examined the effects of aging on patients and how to deal with them during Monday’s education session, “The Quick and Dirty on Anesthesia Care for the Complex Geriatric Patient.”

“All numbers being presented are wrong.”

That’s the disclosure attendees will receive at the opening of today’s Refresher Course Lecture titled “U.S. Anesthesia Workforce and Group Practice Trends: Data Sources and Research Questions.”

Physicians are expected to improve or save the lives of their patients, yet a growing number of physicians are struggling to enhance their own lives. It is estimated that 400 U.S. physicians a year commit suicide and thousands of others struggle with burnout. An interactive Tuesday workshop aims to address these issues and provide tools for resilience at work.

Gauging a physician’s competency does not end with residency. Supervisors must assess fitness to practice whether an anesthesiologist is just beginning residency training or approaching retirement. Tips to improve the assessment process will be presented during a Tuesday panel assembled by the Society for Education in Anesthesia.

Anesthesia is increasingly being used outside the operating room in suites designed for less invasive procedures. The change of scenery still requires the use of standard anesthesiology processes and creates new challenges, which will be explored in a Tuesday education session.

In 1939, when Gertie Marx, M.D., the “mother of obstetric anesthesia,” practiced medicine, obstetric anesthesiology didn’t exist. She pioneered the practice. She also was an early advocate of saddle block, the use of caudal catheters and a supporter of permitting fathers in the delivery room. What were the complications rates back then? We can assume they were much higher than today. But no one was keeping track.

Research on how the brain works is the realm of anesthesiologists and neuroscientists who often interact but do not work together to share their knowledge. Renowned anesthesia researcher Emery N. Brown, M.D., Ph.D., wants that to change.

Despite efforts to curb opioid prescriptions, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reports that synthetic opioid related fatalities increased 22 percent in 2016, surpassing deaths related to heroin or prescription opioids.