from the editor

Collaboration: Key Element of our Mission

By Greg Latham, MD
Seattle Children’s Hospital
University of Washington Medical Center

Happy 2018! This is the traditional time to look back on the year just passed and reflect with gratitude on accomplishments. As highlighted by Dr. Guzzetta in the “Message from the President,” 2017 was a year of an unprecedented number of activities advancing the mission of the CCAS. These activities are the result of countless hours of dedication from so many of the members of the CCAS, and they are to be congratulated and celebrated. I look forward to witnessing the ongoing education, collaboration, and advocacy in 2018. In like manner, I need to recognize the tireless work of my colleagues on the CCAS Communications Committee: Drs. Viviane Nasr, Rania Abbasi, and Stephanie Grant. I know we all look forward to Rania’s and Stephanie’s challenging Questions of the Week and appreciate practice variations displayed in the Poll of the Month. Additional content is gradually being added to the Education tab of the website, so check the Education tab from time to time to enjoy the new offerings.

Dr. Nasr and I are proud to present the Winter CCAS Newsletter and hope you will enjoy it. In this newsletter, Drs. Mark Twite and Wanda Miller-Hance have written an excellent meeting review of the “Congenital Cardiac Anesthesia Track at the 7th World Congress of Pediatric Cardiology and Cardiac Surgery,” replete with photos to get a feel of the international collaboration in Barcelona this summer.

Dr. David Vener has provided an update on the STS database. He reminds us of the power of large datasets by highlighting recent anesthesia research projects based on the STS data.

Drs. Matthew Lilien, Elizabeth Wilson, and Laura Downey from Children’s Hospital of Atlanta have provided an excellent review of the patient with failing Fontan physiology. The authors also review the anesthetic implications and goals when managing these patients.

Lastly, Dr. Steven Schwartz from The Hospital for Sick Children has joined us for an extremely informative Q&A session, based on his recent review entitled “Pharmacological Manipulation of Peripheral Vascular Resistance in Single Ventricle Patients (Stages I, II, and III of Palliation).” He shares practical insight into the perioperative management of this patient cohort.

Lastly, be sure to read through Dr. Luis Zabala’s program summary of the upcoming annual meeting this Spring. I wish all of you a happy 2018, and I look forward to seeing many of you in Phoenix in March.