33RD ANNUAL REGIONAL ANESTHESIA MEETING AND WORKSHOPS

May 1-4, 2008 Aventura Spa Palace Playa del Carmen (Cancun), Mexico Meeting Syllabus PDF (184 MB) Please note that the Aventura Spa Palace and Playacar are now sold out. Please complete the online reservation form for Xpu Ha Resort. For more information http://www.xpuha-resort.com/.
- Online Registration - Meeting Infomation in PDF Format

Attend Regional Anesthesia’s Premier Educational Event of the Year Held at Latin America’s #1 All-Inclusive Resort!

Accredited for up to 27.5 CME credits

Cancun Airport Transfers

The Group Transportation is now unavailable since we are days away from the meeting. We advise that those attendees that have not scheduled transportation should seek other modes of transportation to the hotel.

Bienvenidos a Mexico! - TOP

The meeting is designed to reinforce the basic and clinical evidencebased practices of regional anesthesia, with an expanded emphasis this year on technical aspects of cutting-edge technologies for managing perioperative pain, including continuous peripheral nerve block catheter placement and management, and ultrasound assisted nerve blocks. The workshops have been designed to be inclusive, offering instruction from noted world authorities, for both the novice trainee as well as the seasoned veteran of these techniques. In addition, refresher courses and problem-based learning discussions will focus on the preponderance of evidence supporting the use of techniques, agents and adjuvants for providing regional anesthesia.

Additionally, in gratitude to our hosts we have extended several offers to noted Latin authorities on regional anesthesia and pain management to participate, and we are enthused by the overwhelming positive endorsement on their part. Indeed, the planning and preparation for the 2008 meeting has left no stone unturned, and I am certain that you will embrace both the format, as well as the location.

For entertainment, a festive Mexican “baile” will be hosted by the resort on Saturday evening, and attendees will undoubtedly find the rich historical sites, including the pyramids and ruins of the Yucatan Peninsula, offer splendid opportunities for exploration during breaks and free time. For participants traveling with their families, the Society has secured space at the Spa's sister resort, the Playacar Palace, and arrangements are in place to provide transporation several times per day to and from the meeting site.

I am confident that you will find the 2008 Regional Anesthesia Meeting has much to offer, and hope you will join me in the celebration of the practice of regional anesthesia!

Nos vemos en Mexico!

Kenneth D. Candido,
M.D. Program Chair

Officers - TOP

Directors
Oscar A. DeLeon-Casasola, M.D.
Marc A. Huntoon, M.D.
Jospeh M. Neal, M.D.
Timothy J. Ness, M.D., Ph.D.
Richard L. Rauck, M.D.
Christopher L. Wu, M.D.

Founding Fathers
L. Donald Bridenbaugh, M.D. (Emeritus)
Harold Carron, M.D. (Deceased)
Jordan Katz, M.D.
P. Prithvi Raj, M.D.
Alon P. Winnie, M.D. (Emeritus)

Program Committee
Kenneth D. Candido, M.D. (Program Chair)
Asokumar Buvanendran, M.D.
Laura L. Clark, M.D.
James R. Hebl, M.D.
Gregory A. Liguori, M.D.
Edward R. Mariano, M.D.
Antoun M. Nader, M.D.
Christopher L. Wu, M.D.

ASRA Takes Great Pride in Recognizing These Outstanding Members

Distinguished Service Award Recipient David L. Brown, M.D. Gaston Labat Award Recipient James C. Eisenach, M.D.

General Information - TOP

An all-inclusive resort you won’t want to leave...

Aventura Spa Palace is ideally positioned in the heart of the Riviera Maya, where the tropical sun meets the turquoise waters of the Caribbean Sea.

This adults-only resort (age 18+) is set within an 85-acres expanse, combining the exuberant virgin jungle, typical of the state of Quintana Roo, with wide and spacious lawns and gardens carefully designed to please the senses. The botanical garden cares for and multiplies the native trees and flowers to offer the widest array of brilliant colors. From the central patio with its colonial fountain, through the romantic archways, down to the natural tile floor to the carefully handcrafted furniture, it all combines to create a magical setting.

Room amenities include a fruit basket and wine upon arrival, turndown service, liquor dispenser, mini-bar containing sodas, bottled water and domestic beer, individually controlled air conditioning, satellite TV with remote control, ceiling fan, purified water, brand name bath amenities, bathrobes and slippers, in-room safe, coffee maker, direct dial telephone, alarm clock, hair dryer, and iron/ironing board.

A highlight of this resort is the deluxe full-service spa. A range of facilities designed with relaxation in mind include a yoga hut, meditation garden, indoor pool with sound therapy, and a labyrinth Zen path modeled after the one at France's Chartre Cathedral. For true heartpumping fun, you can try out the 100-foot climbing tower, the 14-obstacle fitness trail, the virtual spinning room or the wide range of classes offered in the full-service aerobic studio. The fully equipped fitness center offers everything from free weights, to treadmills, to stair and weight machines.

Make your hotel reservations online at www.asra.com.

IMPORTANT NOTE: If you are not staying at either the Aventura Spa Palace or the Playacar Palace, you will need to purchase a day pass for $85 per day in order to enter the hotel’s premises.

All-Inclusive Features

• 1,266 rooms, all with balcony and jacuzzi
• Luxurious accommodations
• Fine dining
• Delicious snacks
• Top shelf drinks (domestic and imported)
• 24-hour room service
• Non-motorized water sports: paddleboats, kayaks, snorkeling
• Sensational entertainment
• All taxes and gratuities
• Wireless Internet

There is a wide range of activities including non-motorized water sports, tennis on three lighted courts, and golf on two nearby championship courses. Lagoon-style beaches invite snorkeling, swimming and kayaking next to snow-white sands, and a lap pool welcomes serious swimmers.

Transportation to/from the Cancun Airport

Avis Rent A Car Information
Avis Rent A Car is the official car rental company for the ASRA 33rd Annual Regional Anesthesia Meeting and Workshops. If you are interested in renting a car, a 15 percent discount will be given per room and rental. The vehicle must be picked up at either the Aventura Spa Palace or the Playacar Palace; the discount does not apply for car rented at the airport. To request an Avis rental car, please e-mail your preferred dates, time of pick up, and car size to: administracion.pca@avis.com.mx.

Target Audience
This meeting is designed for regional anesthesia, ambulatory, pain and other practitioners utilizing invasive and noninvasive techniques for regional anesthesia. Moreover, individuals involved in pain control and scientists working in the basic and clinical science areas will greatly benefit from the interaction during the course of the sessions.

About this Meeting
Topics for this meeting were selected by various methods. Suggestions for topics were derived from evaluations of previous Annual Regional Anthesia Meetings and Workshops. These suggestions were discussed by our authorities in the field of regional anesthesia with educators who attended previous annual meetings and board meetings. The purpose of this annual meeting is to educate and share information that will enable anesthesiology practitioners to provide the highest level of regional anesthesia services.

Objectives
After participation in this educational meeting, participants should have an understanding of:

• Clinical issues relating to obstetric, surgical and pain management techniques utilizing regional anesthesia.
• How to balance the risk/benefit of specific regional anesthesia techniques for anesthesia and pain control.
• How to incorporate the presented procedures into your practice.

The methods of presentation will include transitional sessions, didactic lectures, poster discussions, workshops, and problem-based learning discussions. The meeting will allow ample time to view new technology, inspect current literature, and review new and proven pharmacology.

Accreditation and Designation
The American Society of Regional Anesthesia and Pain Medicine is accredited by the Accreditation Council for Continuing Medical Education to provide continuing medical education for physicians.

The American Society of Regional Anesthesia and Pain Medicine designates this educational activity for a maximum of 27.5 AMA PRA Category 1 Credit(s)™. Physicians should only claim credit commensurate with the extent of their participation in the activity.

Disclaimer
The information provided at the above CME activities is for continuing medical education purposes only. It is not meant to substitute for the independent medical judgement of a physician relative to diagnostic and treatment options for a specific patient’s medical condition.

ASRA CME Mission
The CME mission of ASRA shall be to provide physicians, scientists and other health care providers with the opportunities to acquire the knowledge and skills pertinent to regional anesthesia and pain management through learning tools such as panels, general sessions, poster discussions and workshops presented at CME activities, and to measure acquired knowledge with the goal of improved science and clinical practice through the use of CME activity evaluations and follow-up surveys designed to measure changes in practice patterns.

Americans with Disabilities Act
The American Society of Regional Anesthesia and Pain Medicine fully complies with the legal requirements of the ADA and the rules and regulations thereof. If any participant
in this educational activity has a special need, please contact the ASRA headquarters at (847) 825-PAIN (7246).

Registration Information
The registration fee for the ASRA 33rd Annual Regional Anesthesia Meeting and Workshops includes admission to the refresher courses, parallel sessions, special sessions, plenary sessions, poster discussion sessions, poster viewing, exhibits, social programs, including a reception with exhibitors and the President’s reception for faculty and attendees, four continental breakfasts and coffee breaks, and the meeting syllabus. Registration for the Annual Regional Anesthesia Meeting and Workshops is required for one to register for any optional programs. The pre-registration cut-off date is Friday, March 28, 2008.

Optional Meeting Programs
An additional fee will be charged for each optional Workshop and/or PBLD Luncheon. Pre-registration is encouraged for optional meeting programs as these programs tend to reach full enrollment prior to the pre-registration cut-off date. It is recommended to make several choices for each time period of optional meeting programs. Space will be assigned on a first-come, first-serve basis. Refunds will be issued to individuals when optional programs are not available.

Faculty - TOP

Program Schedule - TOP

Thursday, May 1, 2008 - TOP

Thursday Workshops

Friday, May 2, 2008 - TOP

Friday Workshops

Saturday, May 3, 2008 - TOP

Saturday Workshops

Sunday, May 4, 2008 - TOP

Looking ahead to the 2008 Annual Pain Medicine Meeting and Workshops - TOP

November 20-23, 2008
Hyatt Regency Huntington Beach
Huntington Beach, California