The Women in Cardiothoracic Anesthesiology Special Interest Group: What Can the Lessons of One Anesthesiology Affinity Group Tell Us About How to Build Impactful Professional Communities?

The Women In Cardiothoracic Anesthesiology (WICTA), a special interest group of the Society of Cardiovascular Anesthesiologists, has been highly successful in mobilizing WICTA, a historically underrepresented and marginalized group in the subspecialty, and in supporting real and meaningful change in the professional community. The experience of WICTA as a professional affinity group in impacting a professional organization to diversify, evolve, and become more responsive to a wider professional audience has important lessons for other professional organizations. This article discusses the recent history of affinity organizations in anesthesiology, the benefits they offer professional organizations, and the strategies that have been used to effectively motivate change in professional communities. These strategies include engaging a strong advisory board, identifying the need of constituents, creating additional opportunities for networking and membership, addressing gaps in professional development, and aligning goals with those of the larger national organization. WICTA is just one example of the potential opportunities that affinity groups offer to professional societies and organizations for expanding their reach, enhancing their impact on physicians in their target audience, and achieving organizational missions.

Utilization of the Transgastric View of the Left Atrial Appendange for Procedural Guidance during Left Atrial Appendage Clip Via Video-assisted Thoracoscopic Surgery

Left atrial appendage (LAA) ligation is procedure which isolates the LAA and can decrease the risk of thrombus and arrhythmias in patients with atrial fibrillation, allowing patients to come off home anticoagulation medications. This procedure can be done through minimally invasive thoracoscopic surgery and requires guidance by transesophageal echocardiography. Visualization of the LAA and associated intrathoracic structures is vital for the success of the procedure. This echo rounds report describes an under-utilized method for LAA assessment to encourage cardiac anesthesiologists to consider employing it to increase their ability to completely evaluate the LAA.

A Case Report Describing the Use of Point of Care Ultrasound to Guide Successful Cardiopulmonary Resuscitation After Unanticipated Arrest in Ambulatory Surgery

We present a case of a 41-year-old man who suffered cardiac arrest after induction of general anesthesia for an ambulatory ophthalmologic procedure. In this report, we highlight the use of focused transthoracic echocardiography by the anesthesia team to guide a prolonged resuscitation. Emergency room and critical care physicians have described the use of focused echocardiography to aid in diagnosing correctible causes of cardiac arrest, predicting outcomes, and in decision making regarding termination of resuscitation. We discuss benefits and barriers to anesthesiologists incorporating focused cardiac ultrasound into the perioperative arena.