NIH Director Francis S. Collins, MD, PhD, said in yesterday’s opening session that he’s got a “smorgasbord of issues” he’s been wanting to discuss with anesthesiologists. In what he dubbed a “romp through the NIH,” Dr. Collins walked the audience through NIH biomedical research updates in categories that included advancing neurotechnology, the opioid crisis, the need for a more diverse and innovative research workforce, and COVID-19.

Don’t miss the Rovenstine Lecture at 9 a.m. CT, when Dartmouth-Hitchcock President and CEO Joanne M. Conroy, MD, discusses “Vitals Signs: Transforming 21st Century Anesthesia Practice.” Dr. Conroy was named one of the 50 most influential clinical executives in 2020 by Modern Healthcare magazine.

Before 2005, there wasn’t a lot of data related to chronic pain medication management. However, with an increasing focus on ASA Closed Claims Analysis, anesthesiologists can see inherent risks and take steps to avoid liability.

Anesthesiologists can play a critical role in assessing and reducing the risk of perioperative and acute ischemic stroke in non-cardiac surgery patients through careful screening, managing antithrombotic therapy and even scheduling optimal timing for elective surgery. Those considerations as well as keeping the anesthesiologist safe during the pandemic were the focus of Saturday’s session, “Stroke and the Anesthesiologist: What’s New?”

In a health care environment where practitioners are asked to be efficient and proficient in many clinical scenarios, it’s almost impossible for them to keep up on the latest breaking science. Saturday’s “Our 10 Favorite Papers of the Year: How Will They Affect Your Practice?” put some of the best papers front-and-center for anesthesiologists.

It’s day 3 of the meeting, and we want to know what you think so far. More than anything, it is your experience that matters.

Achieving racial, ethnic, and gender diversity and inclusion has been an elusive pursuit in medicine. Defining who is ultimately responsible for developing and implementing a plan that ensures an equal opportunity for everyone could be the key to success. But who should take the lead?

Think a little brain fogginess might be something more? ASA’s Perioperative Brain Health Initiative (PBHI) is leading the charge to equip anesthesiologists with the tools they need to effectively screen and care for patients at risk for pre- and postoperative neurocognitive decline.