Thank You Connecticut

Thank you to the Connecticut College of Emergency Physicians for inviting me to the Annual Meeting in Hartford. I attended a dinner with the Board of Directors and enjoyed a lively discussion of crowding in emergency departments and the proposed changes in the state’s trauma system.

I had the opportunity to hear some great lectures, including “Challenges in Safety: The Future of Health and Emergency Medicine,” given by Dr. Leon Haley, Jr., M.D., M.H.S.A., F.A.C.E.P. Dean Wilkerson, Executive Director of ACEP updated the chapter on events at the national level and had an active question-and-answer session with the chapter. They kindly allowed me to give a presentation called “Pushing the Limits; Frontiers in Wilderness Medicine.”

The Chapter presented the Phil Stent Award to Dr. A. J. Smally for his outstanding contribution to the field of emergency medicine. State Representative Denise Merrill was presented the Legislative Award. The University of Connecticut and the Yale emergency medicine residency programs announced their respective selection for the Resident of the Year Award. The award recipients were Dr. Kelly Dodge, M.D. from Yale and Dr. Michael Tocci, M.D. from the University of Connecticut.

The day ended with excellent oral presentations of research including:

Comparison of the Airtraq® Optical Laryngoscope to Direct Laryngoscopy in a Manikin Model for Easy and Difficult Intubations
Authors: Thomas A. Nowicki, M.D., Mark Dziedzic, M.D., James C. Suozzi, D.O., NREMT-P

Use of Lean Techniques to Simplify Admission Procedures and Decrease ED Process Time
Authors: J.D. Schuur, D. Collins, A. Smith, R. Lisitano, R. Kulkarni, G. D’Onofrio

Comparison of the Airtraq® Optical Laryngoscope to Direct Laryngoscopy by Paramedics in a Manikin Model for Easy and Difficult Intubations
Authors: Thomas A. Nowicki, M.D., James C. Suozzi, D.O., NREMT-P, Mark Dziedzic, M.D., Richard A. Kamin, M.D.,, Stephen Donahue, B.S.R.R.T.

S-100B Immunoassay: Serology for Assessment of Minor Head Injury in the Emergency Department
Author: Simon Kotlyar, M.D.

Research Informed Consent Practices in Academic Emergency Centers: A Multicenter Survey
Authors: E.P. Monico, M.D., J.D., L. C. Degutis, DrP.H., M.S.N.

Bedside Emergency Physician Determination of Cardiac Output in Severe Sepsis
Authors: Jason S. Chang, M.D., James Hwang, M.D., Charles Wira, M.D., Michael Osborne, M.D., John Sather, M.D., Chris Moore, M.D.


It was a terrific meeting, and I appreciate the opportunity to participate. Thanks, Connecticut!