The largest group of committees and editorial boards within ASA resides in the Division of Scientific Affairs, comprising the sections on Publications, Clinical Care, Subspecialties, Education and Research, and the Annual Meeting. Last year in this column, space allowed us to review only highlights from Publications and Clinical Care (ASA Monitor 2023;87:7-8).

This year, I’ll cover the sections on Subspecialties, and Education and Research. But first, let me mention the annual meeting, a timely topic that deserves updating every year. ANESTHESIOLOGY® 2024 is returning to the birthplace of America, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, October 18-22. There will be abundant opportunities to network with colleagues, learn from inspiring speakers, and explore the latest innovations. You’ll find exciting sessions on hot topics like the opioid crisis, workplace violence, and the latest clinical updates. Our first-ever session with the National Institutes of Health (NIH) will feature Dr. Sumita Khatri, Chief Medical Officer of the Division of Lung Diseases. Registration opens May 21. I hope to see you in Philadelphia!

The Section on Subspecialties, chaired by Erin A. Sullivan, MD, FASA (Table 1), consists of 11 committees that represent all subspecialties in anesthesiology. These committee members, under the leadership of their respective chairs, have important responsibilities to:

  • Serve as liaisons between the ASA and the various subspecialty societies, along with other organizations with overlap of mutual interest.
  • Collaborate with subspecialty organizations to implement strategies that provide pertinent information to all anesthesiologists and that advance clinical practice and elevate patient care.
  • Promote research and discovery in the subspecialties.
  • Participate in the education program to serve as moderators and panelists for subspecialty-related topics during the ASA annual meeting.
  • Publish subspecialty committee work products that serve as resources for all ASA members and are easily accessible on the ASA website.
  • Review policy and position papers, develop policy and position papers (including statements, guidelines, and practice parameters), and seek input from the related subspecialty society via that society’s president.
  • Assist ASA leadership in addressing subspecialty-specific topics pertaining to payment, regulatory, and legislative issues.

Table 1: Section on Subspecialties, Erin Sullivan, MD, FASA, Chair.

Table 1: Section on Subspecialties, Erin Sullivan, MD, FASA, Chair.

Several subspecialty committees engaged in five-year reviews of various statements and guidelines related to the practice of their respective subspecialty, and these recommendations were presented before the ASA House of Delegates for approval during ANESTHESIOLOGY® 2023 in San Francisco, California.

  • Committee on Ambulatory Surgical Care: Statement on Ambulatory Anesthesia and Surgery.
  • Committee on Critical Care Medicine: Statement on Increasing Relevancy and Sustainability of Anesthesiology Critical Care: An Expert Consensus.
  • Committee on Obstetric Anesthesia: Statement on Neurologic Complications of Neuraxial Analgesia/Anesthesia in Obstetrics; Statement on Pain During Cesarean Delivery; Statement on Neuraxial Medication Shortage and Alternatives.
  • Committee on Pain Medicine: Statement on Privileging for Chronic Pain Medicine; Statement on Ketamine for the Treatment of Chronic Pain; Statement on the Practice of Pediatric Pain Medicine; Statement on Access to Pain Care; Statement on the Role of Registered Nurses in the Management of Continuous Regional Anesthesia.
  • Committee on Palliative Care: Statement on Palliative Care.

Several of our subspecialty committees have produced work products that serve as resources for ASA members:

  • Committee on Cardiovascular and Thoracic Anesthesia: The Heart Rhythm Society (HRS)/ASA Expert Consensus Statement on the Perioperative Management of Patients with Implantable Defibrillators, Pacemakers, and Arrhythmia Monitors: Facilities and Patient Management.
  • Committee on Critical Care Medicine: Recommendations on Preprocedural Fasting in Hospitalized Patients Who Receive Tube Feeding; Anesthesiology Advanced Circulatory Life Support (ACLS); Handoff Recommendations for Patients Transitioning Between ICU Teams and Procedural Care Areas Requiring Anesthesia.
  • Committee on Geriatric Anesthesia: Perioperative Diagnostic Excellence for the Older Adult: An Educational Initiative; Frailty Tool Kit and Assessment for Anesthesiologists.
  • Committee on Obstetric Anesthesia: Comparative Effectiveness of Interventions to Decrease Cesarean Births; Nitrous Oxide for Labor Analgesia; Levels of Maternal Care, Obstetric Care Consensus No. 9; Blood Patch Placement; Differential Diagnosis and Complication; PDPH Clinical Management Template; PDPH Patient Instructions.
  • Committee on Pain Medicine: Consensus Guidelines on the Use of Intravenous Ketamine Infusions for Acute Pain Management; Consensus Guidelines on the Use of Intravenous Ketamine Infusions for Chronic Pain; Chronic Pain Can Be a Multisystem Disease; Considerations for Long-Term Opioid Use in Chronic, Non-Cancer Pain Conditions; Consensus Practice Guidelines on Interventions for Lumbar Facet Joint Pain from a Multispecialty, International Working Group.

The ASA Section on Education and Research, chaired by Edward R. Mariano, MD, MAS, FASA, is composed of two committees and eight editorial boards (Table 2).

Table 2: Section on Education and Research, Ed Mariano, MD, MAS, FASA, Chair.

Table 2: Section on Education and Research, Ed Mariano, MD, MAS, FASA, Chair.

The Committee on Excellence in Research reviews the full nomination packets each year for two major ASA awards: the James E. Cottrell, MD, Presidential Scholar Award, and the Award for Excellence in Research. Committee members meet, discuss, and provide their recommendations to ASA leadership for the selection of awardees. The Committee on Research is made up of established investigators at various career stages with differing areas of research experience and expertise. Committee members serve as a collective resource for ASA members and leaders on issues related to research: timely and relevant topics for investigation; sources of research funding; evaluation of grant applications submitted to the Foundation for Anesthesia Education and Research; and review of submissions for the ASA Resident Research Award.

“Committee members serve as a collective resource for ASA members and leaders on issues related to research: timely and relevant topics for investigation; sources of research funding; evaluation of grant applications submitted to the Foundation for Anesthesia Education and Research; and review of submissions for the ASA Resident Research Award.”

The editorial boards of ASA are responsible for developing and producing high-quality educational products that should be familiar to most ASA members. The Anesthesiology Continuing Education (ACE) program celebrated its 20th anniversary in 2023. ACE Editorial Board members create and curate questions and answers spanning a broad range of core topics in anesthesiology and the subspecialties to produce two issues yearly. These products qualify for up to 60 AMA PRA Category 1 CME credits™ per year (includes both issues), and these credits may also be applied for ABA Maintenance of Certification in Anesthesiology (MOCA).

Summaries of Emerging Evidence (SEE) is another twice-yearly product from ASA, but its questions and answers are focused on key findings and topics published in the recent scientific literature. No one has enough time to keep up on the tens of thousands of articles published in journals related to anesthesiology and other relevant specialties per year, so the SEE Editorial Board makes it easy for subscribers to stay up to date with the latest evidence. The two SEE issues per year also offer up to 60 AMA PRA Category 1 CME credits™, with credits reported directly to the ABA for MOCA requirements.

The Anesthesia Patient Safety Program Editorial Board manages and updates the ASA’s educational portfolio related to patient safety content, which is geared toward satisfying the ASA MOCA requirement specific to patient safety education. Editorial Board members currently oversee over 60 online CME activities that offer more than 70 AMA PRA Category 1 CME credits™. Recently released patient safety modules include: I.V. Infiltration and Extravasation, Difficult Airway Algorithm, and Medication Safety in Pediatric Anesthesia.

The Point-of-Care Ultrasound (POCUS) Editorial Board develops and updates online educational content and live programming that can aid anesthesiologists in learning the basics of POCUS or pursuing the ASA Diagnostic POCUS Certificate. Participants in the program can earn up to 60 AMA PRA Category 1 CME credits, with 10 credits that satisfy the ABA MOCA quality improvement requirement. With the recent concerns raised about the potential risks of GLP-1 agonists in the perioperative period, the POCUS Editorial Board curated existing and developed new content to create the new ASA Gastric POCUS Certificate to provide timely and highly relevant training for anesthesiologists.

Perioperative Resuscitation and Life Support (PeRLS) is a novel product updated and maintained by the PeRLS Editorial Board and is geared toward all perioperative personnel, anesthesiologists and non-anesthesiologists. While the American Heart Association Advanced Cardiac Life Support (ACLS) training is applicable generally to health care professionals who may work in a variety of settings, PeRLS training is specific to the operative and procedural environment. Modules incorporate scenarios with direct relevance to anesthesia professionals, surgeons, nurses, and other personnel who work in the OR. PeRLS has been accepted as an alternative to ACLS in many hospitals, and ASA provides resources to help make a convincing case.

Anesthesia Toolbox, while not new to many academic programs (already 120 in the community), is the newest Editorial Board to come under ASA. We joined forces with Anesthesia Toolbox in 2022, and initially an ad hoc committee was formed to develop the administrative procedures language and establish content development and editorial processes. All content was migrated to a new learning management system, and Editorial Manager (an editorial workflow management system) was adopted for content submission and revision by the editors. In addition to in-training content for residents and fellows that has traditionally been included in Anesthesia Toolbox, new areas for development include practice management and other topics related to transition to practice to aid anesthesiologists in preparing for their careers.

The editorial board for Interactive Computer-Based Education is responsible for Anesthesia SimSTAT, a series of realistic online simulation models developed out of a collaboration between ASA and CAE Healthcare. These immersive learning experiences can be accessed anywhere and provide the user with AMA PRA Category 1 CME credits™ that also satisfy ABA MOCA and Quality Improvement activities. Current scenarios include trauma, labor and delivery, postanesthesia recovery, and more, with new modules on the way.

The Editorial Board for Simulation-Based Training has developed criteria for ASA-endorsed simulation centers that comprise the Simulation Education Network (SEN). There are over 50 simulation centers in the SEN, and live training activities at endorsed centers may earn participants AMA PRA Category 1 CME credits™ and satisfy ABA MOCA Part 4 (Quality Improvement) requirements. Editors collaborate with the American College of Surgeons (ACS) and participate in the annual ACS Surgical Simulation Summit.

Editorial boards frequently collaborate with each other. Members of the editorial boards also participate in ASA’s Central Line podcasts and host in-person sessions at the ASA annual meeting.