The American College of Surgeons is dedicated to improving the care of the surgical patient and to safeguarding standards of care in an optimal and ethical practice environment.

Oct. 13, 2009
Oct. 14, 2009
Oct. 15, 2009

Contents:
• LaMar S. McGinnis, Jr., to be installed as 90th ACS President at Sunday Convocation
• F. Dean Griffen, MD, FACS, to receive 2009 Distinguished Service
• Honorary Fellowship to be awarded to five prominent surgeons
• Dr. and Mrs. Reiling to receive Distinguished Philanthropist Award at FLS luncheon
• Martin Memorial Lecture to showcase re-engineering success
• Inaugural meeting of the Young Fellows Association to convene Monday
• Panel discussion, new curriculum examine surgical palliative care
• SESAP: An excellent tool for Maintenance of Certification
• National Accreditation Program for Breast Centers celebrates first year

Panel discussion, new curriculum examine surgical palliative care

Surgeons will encounter many patients with progressive, incurable, and terminal illnesses in their role as primary physician or as consultant. Managing the salient problems encountered in palliative care, including self-preparation and self-care, can be challenging and lead to burnout for practicing surgeons and surgeons-in-training who are attempting to navigate the difficult path of managing life-limiting illness. Attendees at this year’s Clinical Congress will find two resources that provide practical guidance for handling these situations.

On Tuesday, the panel discussion Palliative Surgery: Surgical Hubris or Beneficial Act? will provide a clearer definition of palliative surgery and a consistent methodology for future clinical practice and research consistent with the Statement of Principles of Palliative Care endorsed by the American College of Surgeons. To be held from 8:00 to 11:15 am in room W194 on Level 1 of the West Building at McCormick Place, this panel presentation will focus on palliative surgery for cancer patients. Experts in ethics, palliative oncologic surgery, and palliative care will discuss the current ethical and clinical status of palliative surgery illustrated by case examples and its implications for future research.

Making its debut at this year’s Clinical Congress is Surgical Palliative Care: A Resident’s Guide, a new curriculum project that is a joint effort of the American College of Surgeons and the Cunniff-Dixon Foundation (CDF), a private foundation in Essex, CT, whose mission is to educate and inspire physicians regarding medical care near and at the end of patients’ lives. Because patients and their families frequently look to surgeons for ultimate answers and guidance, the College and CDF believe is important that surgical residents learn to be comfortable with that responsibility and with the need to stay with their patients near the end of life. Developed by Geoffrey P. Dunn, MD, FACS, editor-in-chief; Robert Martensen, MD, PhD, associate editor; and David Weissman, MD, FACP, associate editor, this guide for residents provides basic knowledge and techniques of palliative care that will help surgical residents learn how to be clear with patients, their families, colleagues, and themselves about the realities of a patient’s disease picture and what their judgment and skill in the art of surgery can provide for their comfort, function, and longevity.

Doctors Dunn and Martensen will be at the Division of Education’s booth in the ACS Member Information Center on Monday and Tuesday to discuss this new curriculum with Clinical Congress attendees. Be sure to stop by to examine a copy of the curriculum and to find out about future plans for its dissemination.