VASGBI - 2005 Annual Scientific Meeting
St Catherine's College, Oxford
19th & 20th September 2005
Report of the VASGBI Annual Scientific Meeting
This year's highly successful meeting was hosted by Mark Stoneham and once again was attended by over 250 delegates. For the first time, the programme increased to 5 sessions, extending to mid afternoon on the second day. The meeting opened with Professor John Sear of Oxford who spoke on ‘Hypertension and anaesthesia’ and covered the relevant available data and remaining uncertainties very eloquently in his allotted time. Dr Andrew Kelion, a cardiologist from Harefield, then detailed the current situation regarding preoperative coronary risk assessment and reduction. He emphasised the use of simple clinical criteria for the majority of cases to allow targeting of resources (in terms of invasive investigations and interventions) to those most likely to benefit. The next session included Professor Peter Rothwell from the University of Oxford who is an expert in the epidemiology of carotid artery disease. Though the data are familiar to many VASGBI members, he eloquently covered the literature and discussed controversies such as the optimum timing of carotid endarterectomy after TIA or stroke. He was followed by Peter Simpson, RCA President who stepped in to speak at short notice following the unexpected death of Sir Richard Doll. Dr Simpson gave an informative account of the process, limitations and advantages of NCEPOD. This was particularly timely as the NCEPOD report on aortic aneurysm surgery has since been published in October 2005.
The subcommittee reports and Annual General Meeting were well received by those who managed to avoid the new phenomenon of pre-dinner canalside jogging, or the more traditional activity of pre-dinner barside imbibing. The conference banquet dinner included an entertaining after-dinner speech by former Oxford vascular anaesthetist Peter Hambly, (who is now a full time writer of TV medical dramas) and was followed by the customary late bar.
Despite the rigours of socialising the evening before, the free paper session on Tuesday morning was fully attended. The prize for the best free paper was awarded to Dr S. Agarwal of the Royal Free Hospital London for her presentation ‘Near-patient assessment of platelet function in patients on aspirin and clopidogrel using the platelet function analyzer and modified thromboelastography’. This was followed by the formal debate entitled ‘This house believes you should never go to sleep for carotid surgery’, proposed by Dr Mark Stoneham (Oxford) opposed by Dr Jonathan Thompson (Leicester) and chaired pugnaciously by Professor John Sear. Pre-debate votes were: 21 for the motion and 150 against. After the debate a significant swing had occurred with only 9 for the motion and 164 votes against. Clearly the audience had paid attention, even though some of the arguments used were more emotive than closely related to the subject.
The next session included Steve Westaby of Oxford who told us about the recent advances and therapeutic potential of long-term mechanical devices to maintain the circulation in the presence of severe cardiac dysfunction. The headline speaker, Professor Kevin Tremper of the University of Michigan entertained and educated us in equal measure with his description of the development and application of a detailed clinical information system, which has potentially enormous implications for audit and research. After lunch, Nick Chalmers from Manchester gave a vascular radiologist’s perspective of the potential for collaboration and cooperation between vascular anaesthetists and radiologists, including a perspicacious view of the role of ultrasound for central venous catheterisation. Finally Mike Swart from Torbay hospital described his experience with cardiopulmonary exercise 
testing for patients scheduled to undergo AAA repair.
The meeting then thanked Mark Stoneham for organising an excellent meeting and closed with a reminder that next year’s meeting is to be held in the Royal Armouries Museum, Leeds on September 11 th-12 th. Once again, members are advised to book early to avoid disappointment.
Previous meetings:
2004 Annual Scientific Meeting, Churchill College, Cambridge
