The Society of Critical Care Anesthesiologists

Volume 34 | Issue 3

SOCCA Nominations
by Miguel Cobas, MD, FCCM

The strength of SOCCA is the wealth of talent and energy of its members. One of the ways to serve the Society is through volunteer activities. The SOCCA Nominations Committee annually evaluates nominees and develops an election ballot for available Officer and Director positions. This election cycle we will be electing our Secretary (2-year term) and two members for the Board of Directors (3-year term). Further details about the governance structure of SOCCA are described in our Society Bylaws.

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Case Report: Successful Management of Right Ventricle Perforation Associated with a Protek Duo Cannula Placement
by Jordan M. Stefko, MD, Michael Dougherty, DO, Danielle L Holland, MD, Bridget Hughes, PA-C, and Ron Leong, MD

Introduction:

Acute right ventricular failure (RVF) due to post-left ventricular assist device (LVAD) placement is challenging to treat with the management often limited to placement of either surgical or percutaneous mechanical circulatory devices. The Protek Duo® (LivaNova) is a percutaneous right ventricular support device (RVAD), which due to its relative ease of placement, has been a breakthrough in the management of post-LVAD implantation acute RVF. 1

Cardiac perforation from placement of a Protek Duo cannula is a rare but potentially lethal complication. This case is the first to describe a patient who developed cardiac tamponade from a Protek Duo cannula perforation of the right ventricle. The report discusses preoperative and intraoperative management of this condition and relevant transesophageal echocardiography (TEE) imaging that aided in the diagnosis and surgical repair of the perforation.

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Early Career Intensivists: Bridging the Gap between Training and Practice for SOCCA Members
by Margo Hoyler, MD

The transition between clinical training to independent practice is notoriously challenging. The goal of the SOCCA Early Career Intensivist (ECI) working group is to help support members through this progression. Founded in 2021, the ECI provides junior members with resources and content tailored to their concerns and interests. “The purpose of the group,” says Chair, Dr. Alisha Sachdev, “is to engage all SOCCA members in the first ten years of their careers with specific programming to meet their needs early on.”

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ECMO Education for Intensivists: Approaches and Potential Challenges
by Lauren Sutherland, MD, Lovkesh Arora, MD, Michael Stentz, MD, and Bhoumesh Patel, MD

Since the 2009 H1N1 pandemic, there has been exponential growth in the use of extracorporeal membrane oxygenation (ECMO) for severe cardiopulmonary disease.1 The increased utilization of ECMO has allowed the management of more complex and severe diseases, pushing the boundaries of critical care medicine (CCM) as a specialty. However, this increase in ECMO use means that more intensivists are likely to encounter and care for patients with ECMO, necessitating the evolution and standardization of specialized training in this field.

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Ultrasound for Airway Management: Is it all Hocus POCUS?
by Christopher Choi, MD, Nibras Bughrara, MD, FCCM, FASA, and Kunal Karamchandani, MD, FCCM

Bedside point-of-care ultrasound (POCUS) has become ubiquitous in the critical care arena and is an essential tool for intensivists. POCUS has been used extensively to diagnose various cardiovascular and respiratory pathologies in critically ill patients and is now an integral part of various diagnostic algorithms in the intensive care unit (ICU). Yet, despite the proliferation of various portable and handheld devices, POCUS during emergency airway management in critically ill patients has never taken off.

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SOCCA Interchange Needs You!

Interchange seeks to deliver timely, relevant, and high-quality content to SOCCA members. Contributions from members are not only welcome but essential to ensure that Interchange meets these goals. If you are interested in authoring content concerning clinical challenges, emerging research findings, member accomplishments, or anything of general interest to the membership, please reach out to vabalama@iars.org.

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Now is Our Moment: A Call for Mentorship
by Sarah Alber, MD and Shahla Siddiqui, MD, MSc, FCCM

I recently had several conversations with rising women medical students and residents wanting to know more about anesthesiology and critical care medicine as a career. Typically, in these situations, I think many of us feel compelled to give “the pitch” for why our lives are so great. And yes, recruitment into our subspecialty, particularly for women, is severely needed.

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An Important Step: Improving Gender Diversity in Leadership
by Shahla Siddiqui, MD, MSc, FCCM and Madiha Syed, MD

In the last 50 years, the number of women graduating as physicians has increased; these trends have been noted in the United States, Europe, and as well as low-middle-income countries1. Emerging demographic trends in Critical Care Fellow recruitment from 2004-2017 highlighted the significant increase in female fellows from 29.5% in 2004 to 38.3% in 2014, (p < 0.001)2. Although the number of women graduating as physicians is increasing, those taking up critical care medicine and rising within organizations as leaders are painfully low.

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