Overview

Perioperative medical complications significantly increase morbidity and mortality, as well as the financial cost, associated with surgical procedures. These complications are increased in patients of advanced age and in those with co-existing medical conditions. Comprehensive perioperative risk assessment and focused postoperative medical management have become an integral part of cost-effective, quality of the surgical patient care.

Among health care professionals, awareness of innovations in medical therapies and changes in clinical guidelines, as well as an understanding of their evidence-based rationale, are important factors related to improving surgical outcomes. However, as perioperative patient care expands to include a wider range of specialties, some clinicians feel unprepared and uncomfortable in their role as medical consultants and co-managers of surgical patients, especially patients at high risk for complications.

Our goal is to enable clinicians who are actively engaged in perioperative medical care to incorporate the latest findings from clinical research into their office and/or hospital practices so that they can improve the quality and safety of their medical care.

We will use evidence-based lectures supplemented by clinical cases and combine them with an audience response system for a detailed exchange of information among faculty and attendees. In addition, clinical and lab research, innovations, and clinical vignettes related to perioperative medicine will be selected for presentation.

Target Audience

Internists, hospitalists, family practitioners, anesthesiologists, physician assistants, certified nurse anesthetists, and allied health professionals engaged in management of the perioperative patient.

Objectives

At the completion of this summit, the attendee will be able to:

• Outline the different elements of the preoperative evaluation and the communication techniques for the medical consultant.
• Assess perioperative risk by applying the patient’s history, physical exam, and laboratory tests to evidence-based clinical predication rules and guidelines for cardiovascular disease, pulmonary disease, thromboembolism, and delirium.
• Define disease processes relevant to perioperative care.
• Implement evidence-based therapies for perioperative risk reduction.
• Integrate cost-effective preoperative testing in ambulatory and hospitalized patients.
• Manage common postoperative medical complications.
• Incorporate the latest findings from perioperative clinical research into his or her office and/or hospital practice.

Acknowledgements

The Cleveland Clinic Foundation Center for Continuing Education acknowledges an educational grant for
partial support of the summit from: