The Society of Critical Care Anesthesiologists

Blog
President’s Corner
by Michael H. Wall, MD, FCCM

Join us for the 2024 Annual Meeting, presented by IARS and SOCCA in Seattle, May 17-19. The education committee has created an outstanding program with a critical-care track running concurrently throughout the meeting. The format and content of the meeting look extraordinary, with more critical-care content than we have ever had before. There will be three SOCCA-sponsored breakfasts, and all committees and subcommittees will have the opportunity to meet in person throughout the meeting. In addition, a dedicated SOCCA session will run on Sunday afternoon until about 5PM, including additional educational panels, the SOCCA awards presentations, and the SOCCA business meeting. I hope everyone stays for the entire duration of this exciting meeting.

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Communications Committee Update
by Madiha Syed, MD

Our committee has experienced a dynamic year, marked by significant accomplishments. In September 2023, we released one of our largest issues to commemorate Women in Medicine Month, featuring insightful contributions from several of our dedicated members. The response was exceptional, reflecting our commitment to celebrating diversity and excellence in our field.

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Education Committee Update
by Allison Dalton, MD and Kunal Karamchandani, MD, FCCM

As the new year approaches, the education committee would like to announce some new and exciting changes to the structure of the education committee, as well as our offerings for 2024.  As you will read in this month’s Interchange, the SOCCA component of the 2024 Annual Meeting in Seattle will be undergoing significant changes. We are excited that we will now be able to incorporate three days’ worth of educational offerings as a part of the combined IARS/SOCCA meeting. With this change likely to last beyond 2024, the Annual Meeting subcommittee will be continuing our work on grading and developing annual meeting content for years to come.

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Annual Meeting Evolution
by Allison Dalton, MD and Kunal Karamchandani, MD, FCCM

We would like to share with the SOCCA membership some of the changes around the annual meeting for 2024 as well as for future meetings. Unlike previous years where SOCCA had a separate meeting (a day before the IARS meeting) with a sprinkle of SOCCA sessions during the IARS meeting, the 2024 annual meeting in Seattle will be a combined IARS/SOCCA meeting. What this entails is an integration of SOCCA sessions within the IARS meeting, and the creation of a separate “critical care track” exclusively for content related to critical care medicine. This would ensure that SOCCA educational sessions will run throughout the duration of the meeting. In addition to the critical care medicine related education content throughout the IARS/SOCCA annual meeting, a dedicated half-day session of exclusive SOCCA content is also being planned after the IARS meeting ends. We believe that the SOCCA-only half-day meeting on Sunday, May 18 would allow us to present the various SOCCA awards as well as host the SOCCA business meeting and may provide an opportunity to accommodate additional education sessions. Discussions around the feasibility and logistics of this additional session are currently underway.

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What We Need to Know About AI: A Snapshot for All Critical Care Anesthesiologists
by George Istafanos, DO, Michael Salomon, MD, and Piyush Mathur, MD, FASA, FCCM, FAMIA

The integration of Artificial Intelligence (AI) in various industries has progressed rapidly in medicine, particularly in critical care. The number of articles published regarding AI in critical care medicine tripled from 2018 to 2020.1 From the use of AI to predict the likelihood of sepsis, intensive care unit (ICU) mortality, and length of stay, many predictive models have been developed for use in the ICU setting. It is essential for the modern intensivist to understand the basics of how AI works and how to analyze studies based on AI. This article aims to fulfill these two goals and provide a foundation of knowledge that can be used to implement AI in your practice.

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Women in Critical Care: Year in Review
by Shahla Siddiqui, MD, MBBS, MSc, FCCM

SOCCA WICC ended the year with a Fireside chat featuring three Intensivists in different phases of their career to share their unique journeys in academia, professional life, and career challenges. Drs. Sheela Pai Cole, Brigid Flynn, and Emily Vail joined Drs. Tabaie and Siddiqui to host the fourth and final Fireside Chat for WICC in November. Dr. Tabaie moderated the panel and asked varied questions of the speakers about mentorship, balancing academic focus and clinical demands, strategies for saying ‘no’ to opportunities when stretched, and pulling back and re-engaging with an academic career due to family obligations. The panelists spoke with candor and authenticity and shared wise pearls of experiential learning and advice on resilience. The chat provided a welcome semi-formal atmosphere for the audience to hear from successful academic intensivists and have them share workplace experiences, offering a space for support and for practicing methods to achieve career advancement.

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The Anesthesia Critical Care Medicine Fellowship Match Remains a Buyer’s Market for the Second Year in a Row
by Erin Hennessey, MD, MEHP and Babar Fiza, MD

Introduction
Anesthesia Critical Care Medicine (ACCM) is the oldest ACGME board-certified subspecialty within Anesthesiology, and similar to other subspecialty fellowship training programs, our growth has outpaced the current interest in our field. This year’s match proved again to be difficult for many programs in light of the low application numbers.

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Perspectives on Pursuing an Anesthesiology Fellowship in Critical Care Medicine
by Beth M. Teegarden, MD, FASA, Ernesto Lopez Valencia, MD, PhD, and Lindsay D. Nowak, MD

It is an exciting time to pursue an anesthesiology fellowship in critical care medicine (CCM). As we emerge from COVID-19, there is a renewed energy for scientific investigations, making connections, and integrating wellness strategies to mitigate burnout. Technological advances in hemodynamic monitoring, the use of artificial intelligence or data analytics, and application of novel biomarkers are all captivating areas of investigation. Moreover, the integration of bedside point-of-care ultrasound (POCUS) continues to grow and offers opportunities to be at the forefront of clinical care. If you’ve had a chance to attend recent regional or national anesthesiology or CCM meetings, you have likely noticed expanded opportunities to network and for mentorship at all stages of training. There has been a palpable energy around these connections and a desire to collaborate. It has been a real pleasure to connect with former colleagues, meet new friends and learn from a diverse collection of experts in the field.  

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