Society of Cardiovascular Anesthesiologists

Editor's Column

While one can define cardiovascular anesthesia as a narrow subspecialty, its practice, in fact, spans many areas of medicine. Our daily involvement in the care of patients undergoing cardiovascular and thoracic procedures is recognized by our attendance and contributions to departmental, regional, national, and international conferences in Anesthesiology, Cardiothoracic Surgery, Cardiology, and Critical Care Medicine. The topics presented at the SCA annual meeting, its workshops, and co-sponsored conferences reflect the true diverse nature of our field. Our obligation to maintain and improve our level of expertise while staying current in these multiple areas can be challenging but is also one of the more exciting and rewarding aspects of our practice.

The SCA Newsletter provides a forum for SCA members to express their varied interests and expertise through Literature Reviews, Pro/Con Debates, and Drug and Innovation Updates. In the Literature Reviews, members of the Newsletter Committee highlight and comment on articles of interest selected from a wide range of medical journals. Mark A. Chaney carefully chooses controversial topics to elicit opinions from national experts in the Pro/Con Debates. The Drug Update and Innovation Column, edited by K.W. Tim Park, provides a brief overview of selected new drug therapies and advances in technology pertinent to our practice.

Furthermore, the SCA Newsletter seeks ideas, editorials, and letters from our members. With the addition of new committee members and the expansion of Newsletter content on the SCA Website (www.scahq.org), we continue to address the broad demands of our focused subspecialty.

Albert T. Cheung, M.D.
University of Pennsylvania
Chair, SCA Newsletter Committee