The second annual Thoracic Anesthesia Symposium sponsored by the Society of Cardiovascular Anesthesiologists (SCA) was held April 5-6, 2013 in Miami, Florida. The SCA developed this one-and-a-half day program to meet the increasing demand for continuing medical education in anesthesia for non-cardiac thoracic surgery, as this is an expanding area in both the number and types of procedures.
There have been many recent advances in anesthesia for non-cardiac thoracic surgery, including, but not limited to, lung isolation techniques in patients with difficult airways, prevention of hypoxemia during one-lung ventilation, and management of minimally invasive and robotic lung surgery. Discussions with attendees at recent anesthesia meetings and a survey of course evaluations have identified these particular areas as professional practice gaps. The symposium program of continuing education was designed to address the knowledge and performance deficiencies in these areas.
Anesthesia for thoracic surgery is not a separate subspecialty, but is commonly...