DAPM Excellence at the SCA 2023 Annual Meeting

June 15, 2023 | Jane Moon, MD

The Department of Anesthesiology & Perioperative Medicine (DAPM) at UCLA had a phenomenal showing at the Society of Cardiovascular Anesthesiologists (SCA) 2023 Annual Meeting on May 6-9 in Portland, OR. Several faculty, fellow, and resident physicians participated in the conference by presenting various topics or case reports, moderating sessions, helping lead workshops or problem-based learning discussions (PBLDs), and attending committee or governance meetings.

Jonathan Ho, MD, UCLA Director of Interventional Cardiovascular Operations and Vice Chair of the SCA Scientific Program Committee, played an integral role in organizing the educational content. Dr. Ho also served as Chair of the newly established Abstract Review Committee and ran its inaugural meeting this year, in addition to attending SCA Board of Directors meetings during the conference as a Board member. In addition, he moderated several sessions: “Hot Topics and Controversies in Adult Congenital Heart Disease,” “Best of Meeting Oral Abstracts 1 and Early Career Investigator Awards,” “Best of Meeting Oral Abstracts 2,” “Electrophysiology: What to Do, What to Know, What to Avoid,” and “Plenary Session: Refresher Course Lectures.”

Tiffany Williams, MD, PhD, received the SCA/IARS 2023 Starter/Diversity and Inclusion Grant for her research proposal entitled “Machine Learning of Physiological Waveforms and Electronic Health Record Data: Towards Predicting Hemodynamic Instability in Adult Congenital Heart Disease Surgical Patients.” Dr. Williams also spoke as an expert on the following topics: “Congenital Heart Disease: Pathology, Physiology and Echo Considerations,” “Imaging in Unfamiliar Territory: Echo for Adult Congenital Heart Disease,” and “Ross, Time for a Comeback? Update on Utilization of the Ross Procedure.” She also presented a scientific poster on “Association of Language Preference and Race with Post-Lung Transplant Outcomes.”

Reed Harvey, MD, MHS, Program Director of the DAPM Cardiac Anesthesiology Fellowship, spoke during the Fellows Program on “Careers in Cardiothoracic Anesthesiology.” Dr. Harvey also moderated the Fellow Poster Session, Scientific Poster Session, and “Controversies and Dogma in Patient Blood Management.” He served as a workstation instructor during the “3D TEE Workshop” as well. Dr. Harvey also attended meetings as a member of the Program Directors Council and as a new member of the Scientific Program Committee.

Jacques “Prince” Neelankavil, MD, DAPM Chief of the Division of Cardiothoracic Anesthesiology, served as a point-of-care ultrasound (POCUS) instructor and as a PBLD instructor for “Cardiac Electronic Device Management in Cardiac Surgery and Beyond” and “Hypotension After Cardiopulmonary Bypass.” Dr. Neelankavil also moderated a “Super Echo” session and a Fellow Complex Case Poster Session.

Emily Methangkool, MD, MPH, Chair of Anesthesiology at Olive View-UCLA Medical Center, was also a member of the Scientific Program Committee and moderated several sessions: “Hot Topics and Controversies in Adult Congenital Heart Disease,” “Pushing Boundaries in Cardiac Surgery and Critical Care – Is There a Limit,” two Scientific Poster Sessions, and the Professional Development Workshop that she originated three years ago.

Lorraine Lubin, MD, presented a scientific poster on “Acute Normovolemic Hemodilution in Complex Cardiac Surgery: A Prospective Randomized Trial.” Marisa

Hernandez-Morgan, MD, MPP, MA, moderated a Fellow Poster Session and served as a Fellow PBLD Instructor. Matthew Fischer, MD, participated in the meeting as a member of the SCA Research Committee.

The 2022-23 DAPM cardiac anesthesiology fellow physicians all presented posters this year. Ian Worden, MD, MS, spoke on “Characterizing Transesophageal Echocardiographic Changes in Renal Blood Flow During Cardiopulmonary Bypass.” Ashley Oliver, MD, MA, discussed “Trends in Outcome After Left Heart Catheterization by Race and Region (2012-2019).” Michael Tan, MD, presented “Risk Factors for Dysphagia After Lung Transplantation,” and Albert Lee, MD, spoke on “An Institutional Comparison of Intraoperative Variables Between Patients Presenting for Heart Transplantation Bridged with Variations of Ventricular Assist Devices.”

Dr. Oliver, a member of the SCA Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI) Committee, also gave a presentation entitled “Surveying the Past and Looking Forward” for the SCA DEI Junior Residents Program.

Several DAPM resident physicians presented posters at the SCA 2023 Annual Meeting. Belle Benanzea-

Fontem, MD, CA-1, recipient of a SCA 2023 DEI Junior Resident Scholarship Grant, spoke on “VV-ECMO in Medically Complex ARDS.” Jennifer Nam, MD, MBA, CA-2, presented “Procedural Transesophageal Echocardiography Guides a Multispecialty Approach to a Complex Lead Extraction Involving a Large Intracardiac Vegetation.” Justine Liang, MD, MS, CA-2, discussed “Arrhythmogenesis in Pulmonary Hypertension Induced Right Ventricular Failure.” Micaela Zywicki, MD, CA-2, spoke on “Post-COVID-19 Constrictive Pericarditis: A Rare Complication Requiring Pericardiectomy.”

DAPM members who attended the SCA Annual Meeting had a great time learning from thought leaders in cardiac anesthesiology, networking with colleagues, and spending time with each other. A highlight of their conference experience was attending the gala fundraiser for the SCA Endowment Fund. Their table at the gala was generously sponsored by Maxime Cannesson, MD, PhD, DAPM Professor and Chair.