The Society of Critical Care Anesthesiologists

Landmark trials over the past three decades have fostered appreciation for the potentially injurious effects of mechanical ventilation. Current approaches to lung protective ventilation include the limitation of tidal volumes (V_T) to 6 ml/kg PBW, restriction of plateau pressures (Pplat) to no more than 30 cm H₂O, and attention to driving pressures.

Sooner or later, many of us will be faced with an unpleasant reality: a major health problem requiring medical care. Often, this may entail surgery or critical care. In theory, physicians should be well-prepared for this eventuality. After all, we have a great deal of first-hand knowledge about the perioperative environment and should be comfortable negotiating difficult or uncomfortable situations. Why then do we feel so much stress when these problems hit close to home?

If you have an interesting case report, an idea for a pro-con discussion, a review idea, or an opinion on a recently published article, please review the submission guidelines, then submit your proposal/ article to the Newsletter Editor, Craig S. Jabaley, MD at csjabaley@emory.edu on or before January 17, 2020. If your article is chosen for the newsletter, we will contact you for editing and formatting. Thank you.

I hope that you are having a great summer. The contributions from many SOCCA volunteers are helping develop exciting projects with deliverables I believe the membership as a whole will find engaging and valuable. In this issue of the Interchange, I would like to highlight some the current efforts by the Education and Research Committees since they met in May in Montreal.

It has been my privilege to be Editor of the SOCCA Interchange. It is a daunting task…but worth the work. This work has easily demonstrated to me the power of our Society and its membership. The vast knowledge, experience, and ability to collaborate, frequently with short notice, is exciting, invigorating and a testament to you all.

Read members-only job posts—including a position with Montefiore Health System in New York City—at SOCCA’s Job Board.

The SOCCA Education Committee has undergone substantial changes in the past year. We have grown to become 12-person strong and we have developed clear directives, focusing on the SOCCA strategic goals. Coordinating a successful annual meeting remains the prime focus of the committee and planning for the next annual meeting (to be held in San Francisco) has already begun under the direction of Peter Von Homeyer MD, FASE, the annual program chair.

The SOCCA Research Committee has embarked on a strategic realignment intended to best serve the members of the Society and of the Anesthesiology Critical Care community, at large. The Research Committee has traditionally worked to aggregate and analyze data on Anesthesiology Critical Care practices and on SOCCA membership.

Nearly three years ago SOCCA dove into #SoMe with its twitter account @SOCCA_CritCare, and since that time has covered 3 SOCCA conferences, 2 ASA meetings, and shared #CriticalCare content with over 800 followers. We had our most engaging twitter exchange yet during May’s annual meeting (#SOCCA19) and the aligned meeting days with the International Anesthesia Research Society (IARS) and the Association of University Anesthesiologists (AUA).

At the most recent SOCCA Annual Meeting, it was my privilege to present the SOCCA Distinguished Service Award and the Hilmar Burchardi Award to two well-deserving SOCCA members. Below are transcripts from my presentation of these awards.