Surgery News - October 2008 - (Page 4)

NEWS SURGERY NEWS • O C T O B E R 2 0 0 8 Raising Awareness Call to Action • from page 1 establishment to help raise awareness of DVT and pulmonary embolism (PE), and to increase research funding. Dr. Galson’s Call to Action will “mean great things for the prophylaxis and treatment of this disease,” according to Dr. Wakefield. Along with the Call to Action, the National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute has awarded 5 years’ worth of funding to eight different research groups who will investigate venous thromboembolism treatments and prevention—among them, a group to be co-led by Dr. Wakefield. Other ongoing studies include a multicenter, randomized clinical trial of genotype-guided dosing of warfarin therapy, which is currently the most commonly used treatment for prophylaxis of recurrent venous thromboembolism, according to Dr. Elizabeth Nabel, director of clinical research at the NHLBI. However, Dr. Wakefield pointed out, more studies are needed, including studies of newer drugs and pharmacologic therapies that have less-adverse effects and interactions, and less need for monitoring than has warfarin. Studies of short- and long-term outcomes associated with more aggressive interventions for DVT and PE should also be considered, he said. One such study, which has been funded by the National Institutes of Health and is slated to start soon, will compare pharmacomechanical thrombolysis plus standard anticoagulation versus standard anticoagulation alone for the treatment of significant proximal venous thrombosis. Dr. Frank Michota, director of academic affairs in the department of hospital medicine at the Cleveland Clinic and founder of the clinic’s hospital medicine program, said that hospitalists also were represented at the May 2006 meeting with the Surgeon General. As a member of the Coalition to Prevent DVT, Dr. Michota spoke on public advocacy at that meeting. He advocated the development of “reminder systems, preprinted order sheets, and multidisciplinary protocols so that no patient falls through the cracks in regards to DVT prevention.” As of Oct. 1, 2008, any DVT or PE associated with total knee and hip replacement procedures acquired during an inpatient stay will have “payment implications,” according to the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (SURGERY NEWS, September 2008, p. 1). Just how many patients are affected annually by venous thromboembolism is debated among different groups. Without an autopsy, many cases—perhaps as many as 50%—are misclassified as heart attack, said Dr. Wakefield. Dr. Galson put PE- or DVT-related deaths at 100,000 annually, with 350,000-600,000 Americans contracting DVT or PE each year. The American Heart Association estimated the incidence of venous thromboembolism to be 250,000-2 million cases per year (Circulation 2002;106:1436). Upcoming studies put the number somewhere in between. In any case, said Dr. Galson, “We know that as the U.S. population ages, these numbers are only going to increase.” ■ Clinical Congress Sites To Include Wash., D.C. BY DOUG BRUNK Else vier Global Medical Ne ws College Surgeons’ annual Clinical The Americannot meet of Congress will in New Orleans for the foreseeable future, but the District of Columbia has been added to the list of meeting sites. “We’ve always been looking for an urban East Coast destination that fulfills our needs the best,” Felix P. Niespodziewanski, director of the ACS’s convention and meetings division, said in an interview. That need was met when D.C.’s Walter E. Washington Convention Center opened in 2003. After ACS officials visited the property, they determined “that it could accommodate the needs of the congress from an exhibit standpoint as well as for the number of meeting rooms they have.” Mr. Niespodziewanski, who has worked for the ACS for 18 years, emphasized that the decision to drop New Orleans from the list of rotating meeting sites was made well before Hurricane Katrina hit that city in September 2005. “The ACS has been seeking an East Coast destination for the Clinical Congress ever since the days of Atlantic City not being able to accommo- Clot Prevention Guides Offered by AHRQ new publications aim to educate patients on Twoclots.and physicians alike helppreventing blood “Your Guide to Preventing and Treating Blood Clots” is a 12-page consumer booklet summarizing the causes and symptoms of clots, ways to avoid them, and what to expect from treatment. “Preventing Hospital-Acquired Venous Thromboembolism: A Guide for Effective Quality Improvement” is a 60-page “tool to help hospitals and clinicians implement processes to prevent dangerous blood clots,” including case studies, according to Dr. Carolyn Clancy, director of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services’ Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality, which published the reports. Free copies are available by calling 800-3589295 or by e-mailing HRQpubs@ahrq.hhs.gov. date most conventions. That goes back a long time.” New Orleans had been a rotating site since 1992 and last hosted the Clinical Congress in 2007. Advantages of Washington, D.C., he said, include a large East Coast population base, access to three major airports and public transportation, and major cultural events and tourist attractions. Traveling to New Orleans by air for previous clinical congresses “was a problem due to the limited number of direct flights,” Mr. Niespodziewanski said. “It is not in the center of a large population. Our attendance always suffered.” Future dates and sites for the Clinical Congress are as follows: Oct. 11-15, 2009: Chicago Oct. 3-7, 2010: Washington, D.C. Oct. 23-27, 2011: San Francisco Sept. 30-Oct. 4, 2012: Chicago Oct. 6-10, 2013: Washington, D.C. Oct. 26-30, 2014: San Francisco Oct. 4-8, 2015: Chicago Oct. 16-20, 2016: Washington, D.C. Oct. 21-16, 2017: San Diego (tentative) Oct. 20-25, 2018: Boston (tentative) ■ SURGERY NEWS SURGERY NEWS Editor in Chief, SURGERY NEWS Lazar J. Greenfield, M.D., FACS ACS Director of Communications Linn Meyer EDITORIAL ADVISORY BOARD Anesthesiology: Robert Morell, M.D., Clinical Associate Professor of Anesthesia, Fort Walton Beach Medical Center Bariatric: Myriam J. Curet, M.D., FACS, Professor of Surgery, Stanford University Cardiothoracic: Mark S. Allen, M.D., FACS, Professor of Surgery, Mayo Clinic Cardiothoracic: Fred A. Crawford, Jr., M.D., FACS, Chief, Division of Cardiothoracic Surgery, Medical University of South Carolina Colorectal: Robert Madoff, M.D., FACS, Professor of Surgery, University of Minnesota Endocrine Surgery: Robert Udelsman M.D., FACS, Chairman, Department of Surgery, Yale University Ethics: James W. Jones, M.D., Ph.D., FACS, Visiting Professor of Medicine and Medical Ethics, Baylor University Information Technology: Patricia L. Turner, M.D., FACS, Assistant Professor of Surgery, University of Maryland Minimally Invasive and Gastrointestinal: Gerald M. Fried, M.D., FACS, Professor of Surgery, McGill University Neurological: Hunt Batjer, M.D., FACS, Michael J. Marchese Professor, Northwestern University Obstetrics and Gynecology: William J. Hoskins, M.D., FACS, Executive Director of Surgical Activities, Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center Ophthalmology: Natalie C. Kerr, M.D., FACS, Chief, Pediatric Ophthalmology Service, University of Tennessee Orthopedic: Mark R. Belsky, M.D., FACS, Chief of Orthopedic Surgery, Newton-Wellesley Hospital Otolaryngology: Mark Weissler, M.D., FACS, J.P. Riddle Distinguished Professor, University of North Carolina Pediatric Surgery: Thomas F. Tracy, Jr., M.D., FACS, Pediatric Surgeon-in-Chief, Hasbro Children's Hospital Plastic Surgery: Linda Phillips, M.D., FACS, Truman G. Blocker Jr., M.D. Distinguished Professor, University of Texas Resident/Associate Society: Ted A. James, M.D., Assistant Professor of Surgery, University of Vermont Surgical Oncology: James P. Neifeld, M.D., FACS, Chairman, Department of Surgery, Virginia Commonwealth University Transplantation: Jeffrey Punch, M.D., FACS, Associate Professor of Surgery, University of Michigan Trauma (Burns and Mass Casualties): Steven E. Wolf, M.D., FACS, Professor of Surgery, University of Texas Trauma and Critical Care: Grace S. Rozycki, M.D., FACS, Professor of Surgery, Emory University Urology: Badrinath R. Konety, M.D., FACS, Vice Chair, Dept. of Urology, University of California at San Francisco Vascular: Linda Harris, M.D., FACS, Associate Professor of Surgery, Millard Fillmore Hospital SURGERY NEWS is the official newspaper of the American College of Surgeons and provides the practicing surgeon with timely and relevant news and commentary about clinical developments and about the impact of health care policy on the profession and on surgical practice today. Content for SURGERY NEWS is provided by International Medical News Group and Elsevier Global Medical News. Content for the NEWS FROM THE COLLEGE is provided by the American College of Surgeons. The ideas and opinions expressed in SURGERY NEWS do not necessarily reflect those of the College or the Publisher. The American College of Surgeons and Elsevier Inc., will not assume responsibility for damages, loss, or claims of any kind arising from or related to the information contained in this publication, including any claims related to the products, drugs, or services mentioned herein. POSTMASTER: Send changes of address (with old mailing label) to Circulation, SURGERY NEWS, 60 B Columbia Rd., 2nd flr., Morristown, NJ 07960. The American College of Surgeons’ headquarters is located at 633 N. Saint Clair St., Chicago, IL 60611-3211. SURGERY NEWS (ISSN 1553-6785) is published monthly for the American College of Surgeons by Elsevier Inc., 60 B Columbia Rd., 2nd flr., Morristown, NJ 07960; 973-290-8200; fax 973-290-8250. ELSEVIER SOCIETY NEWS GROUP, A DIVISION OF INTERNATIONAL MEDICAL NEWS GROUP President, IMNG Alan J. Imhoff Director, ESNG Mark Branca Executive Director, Editorial Mary Jo M. Dales Executive Editor, IMNG Denise Fulton Executive E http://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/elsevier/sn0908/index.php http://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/elsevier/sn0908/index.php

Table of Contents Feed for the Digital Edition of Surgery News - October 2008

Surgery News - October 2008 Contents Call to Action Issued to Support DVT, PE Prevention Protocol Changes May Increase Donor Organs CMS Targets 2011 for Switch to ICD-10 Opinion: Election 2008 The 20/20 Vision: Children's Health News From the College: Survival Strategy General Surgery: Innovations

Surgery News - October 2008

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