About the Course

As we enter our 41st record breaking year, we continue with the new focus initiated last year, TRAUMA, CRITICAL CARE & ACUTE CARE SURGERY. For the past nine years, this course has been oversubscribed, with more than 1300 attendees, over 75% of whom are physicians. For every community, there continues to be a need for surgical and medical teams to evaluate and treat the sickest of the sick and the severely injured. It is appropriate that this course take a leadership role in providing a continuing education venue for the complex operative and critical are surgical challenges, with major trauma continuing to be the epitome of such challenges. aculty are selected from a group of potential legacy and emerging acute care surgery, trauma, and surgical intensivist leaders, recognized for their expertise and practical "in the trenches" approach to tough surgical problems.

Goals

This program offers comprehensive continuing education in the treatment of critically ill and injured patients, stressing current basic and cutting edge guidelines and technology for evaluation, diagnosis and management. The course is designed to enhance the knowledge and skills of those caring for ill and injured patients in rural, urban and suburban hospitals.

Objectives

1. Describe innovative, appropriate techniques and technology for optimal care of the injured or seriously ill patient in urban and rural settings.
2. Describe critical decisions in diagnosis and management of the acute abdomen, colon injuries, necrotizing soft tissue infections, pelvic fracture, acute scrotal pathology and thoracic aortic injury.
3. Discuss appropriate use of laparoscope in the acute abdomen.
4. Describe the evolving field of acute care surgery.
5. Discuss techniques and technology for optimal care in the critical care setting, including ventilator strategies, ARDS and trauma, Clostridium difficile, non-antibiotic treatment of infection and sepsis, antibiotic resistant infections, glycemic control, and the need to decrease patient metabolic load.
6. Apply concepts from urban and rural trauma and acute care surgery case studies to the practice setting.
7. Discuss practical exposure techniques and guidelines for management of neck injuries, upper GI bleeding, inaccessible intercostal bleeder, acute ischemic small bowel, gunshot wound to the surgical soul, bowel anastomosis, and ruptured omphalocele.
8. Identify challenges and solutions in disaster preparedness and response to improvised explosive devices.
9. Discuss appropriate surgical response to injuries and illness with added complicating circumstances, including obesity, age, uncontrolled bleeding and urgent intraoperative consults.
10. Discuss management of burns in adults and children, medication coagulopathies, crotalid envenomations, necrotizing pancreatitis, open abdomen with multiple enteric fistulas, and PTSD in children.
11. Discuss management, technology and techniques for optimal care of diverse trauma and critical care related issues, including abdominal vascular injury, urology and ophthalmology for the acute care surgeon, multi-injured patients with multiple fractures, diagnostic radiology radiation risks, and upper and lower extremity fasciotomy.
12. Debate blood transfusion strategies.
13. Present effects of age and obesity on outcomes, effective hemostasis strategies, practical applications of near infrared spectroscopy, analysis of hypotensive resuscitation, methods of preventing pulmonary embolism, and challenges of diagnosis and treatment of abdominal pain.
14. Compare adult and pediatric approaches to protecting the cervical spine, and performing CPR and EC thoracotomy.
15. Evaluate lessons learned in providing quality trauma care in the practice setting.

Educational Methods

Didactic lectures, panel discussions, audiovisual aids, course syllabus, questions and answers and self-test. The course syllabus has become an annual "textbook" update on trauma.

Target Audience

The course is primarily designed for trauma surgeons working in Level I-IV trauma centers. In addition, general surgeons, emergency physicians, anesthesiologists, trauma coordinators, surgical residents, thoracic surgeons, trauma nurses, physician assistants, administrators and EMS coordinators will benefit from this course.

Accreditation

The American College of Surgeons is accredited by the Accreditation Council for Continuing Medical Education (ACCME) to sponsor continuing medical education for physicians.

CME Credit

The American College of Surgeons designates this educational activity for a maximum of 24 AMA PRA Category 1 Credit(s)™. Physicians should only claim credit commensurate with the extent of their participation in the activity.

Accreditation will also be applied for from other appropriate medical specialty organizations.

Harris County Hospital District is an approved provider of continuing nursing education by the Texas Nurses Association, an accredited approver by the American Nurses Credentialing Center's Commission on Accreditation.

This activity meets Type 1 criteria for mandatory continuing education requirements toward relicensure as established by the Texas Board of Nursing.

This activity provides 29.9 contact hours for the nurse.

Advance Registration

Registration is limited to the first 1,300 registrants. To register online using a credit card, complete the online registration form found in the Registration section of this web site. If you wish to pay by check or money order, complete the Advance Registration Form [pdf] and mail it to the indicated address. There is a $90.00 charge for cancellations, and no refunds after March 12, 2008.

The registration fee includes: participation in all sessions, course syllabus, continental breakfasts, coffee and refreshment breaks, breakfast programs, luncheon, and the Tuesday evening Meet the Professor-Discuss the Issues reception and dance.

Please note that there is a lower EARLY registration fee for paid registrations received by February 21, 2008.

Refund/Cancellation Policy

Refunds are available, less $90.00 processing fee, up to March 12, 2008. No refunds will be given on requests postmarked after March 12. Please note that cancellations must be submitted in writing prior to March 12, 2008. Cancellations will not be accepted over the telephone. Upon receipt of your letter of cancellation, you will receive immediate confirmation, including amount of refund to be mailed to you. No refunds will be issued after March 12, 2008. If canceling, mail/fax your cancellation request on or before March 12 to:

Hotel Information

Again this year, TRAUMA, CRITICAL CARE & ACUTE CARE SURGERY will be held at Caesars Palace in Las Vegas. This 85-acre resort continues to set the standard for excitement and luxury. A variety of room types are offered for our group:

Classic Room $180.00 + tax

Palace Tower Spa Rooms $200.00 + tax

Augustus Tower Spa Room $240.00 + tax

Please remember that our room block has sold out at least 6 weeks prior to the meeting for the past three years, so you must book early to stay at the convention hotel! BOOK YOUR HOTEL ONLINE NOW!

To book by telephone call 866-227-5944 or 702-731-7222. Tell the booking agent your GROUP CODE is SCGCS8.

If you have questions, meeting personnel are available to assist you via email: Redstart@aol.com, telephone: 713-798-4557 or fax: 713-796-9605. We regret that we cannot take course reservations over the phone or via fax.