NEAUA 2012 Meeting - my involvement and podium abstract

My American Urological Association annual section meeting (New England) will be taking place in Boston at the Westin Boston Waterfront from September 6-8.   I've been involved with this meeting as a member of the Scientific Program Committee.  My duties on the committee have been to review abstracts as well as participate in planning discussions.  It has been a fun and gratifying experience to shape the structure and content of the meeting.


Here is the preliminary program.


My research group has an accepted podium abstract at the meeting!
It is entitled: "Laser Prostatectomy in the Severely Ill - Outcomes and Feasibility of a Rapid Ambulatory Discharge Pathway".  Dr. Ben Herrick, intrepid Dartmouth Urology resident, is lead author on this study. We show in the abstract that patients who are considered to be "severely ill" by American Society of Anesthesiology classification system can safely and effectively have a rapid ambulatory discharge from the hospital after laser prostate surgery.  In fact, 80% of patients benefited from the ambulatory pathway, 8% were admitted for 23 hour observation, and 11% were in the hospital for longer than 23 hours.


Laser prostate surgery for BPH has reduced bleeding compared to transurethral resection of the prostate (TURP) because of the sealing action of the laser.  As a result, it is feasible to send patients home the same day of surgery with a urethral catheter.  In contrast, patients are routinely admitted to the hospital after TURP.  Such an ambulatory pathway decreases utilization of hospital resources and allows the patient to recover in the comfort of his home.  Decreasing a patient's exposure to a hospital setting also decreases the possibility of hospital based or "nosocomial" errors, falls, and infections.  Though it would seem counterintuitive to send higher risk surgical patients home from surgery the same day, I believe that it is actually safer to do so because of such an avoidance of the hospital environment.  Our data shows that this can be done in a safe and effective manner.


I encourage all those out there to "save the date" and support this meeting in September!