What an honor and exciting opportunity for ASRA to host the 2018 World Congress on Regional Anesthesia and Pain Medicine on April 19–21, 2018, at the Marriott Marquis Hotel in Times Square, New York City! This is the first time in ASRA's history that we've had the privilege of planning and organizing such a prestigious international event. In keeping with the spirit and vision of the World Congress, ASRA will convene one of the largest gatherings of international leaders, content experts, and delegates from around the world who will share global perspectives on regional anesthesia, both acute and chronic pain management, along with global educational and clinical care issues. Together with our four sister societies (African, Asian and Oceanic, European and Latin America Societies of Regional Anesthesia), we are committed to bringing this world-class education event to all physician, nursing, and physician assistant colleagues who are dedicated to this specialized segment of patient care. We expect to welcome more than 2,000 delegates and will provide unique networking and learning opportunities for colleagues at all career levels and from all geographic locations, irrespective of their practice setting, public or private.

For our colleagues living and working in low-income countries (as classified by the World Bank), ASRA is committed to offering discounted registration fees for both the overall meeting and individual workshops. And for those who cannot attend in person, ASRA will provide complimentary live streaming for the most popular sessions.

Here are some of the program highlights to pique your interest and attention.

Faculty Highlights

During the congress, you will have the opportunity to meet with more than 160 national and international faculty, many of whom are innovators and champions of the latest regional anesthesia and pain medicine initiatives. To embrace the spirit of the World Congress, ASRA has invited officials and distinguished speakers from all five of the sister societies. You will no doubt gain insightful knowledge, clinical pearls, and international perspectives from these experts, helping you further refine well-established techniques of regional anesthesia and pain management and define the role and efficacy of new block approaches and emerging clinical practice trends.

Program and Content Highlights

The 2018 World Congress scientific program will feature many learning formats with rich content that is suitable for learners of all levels. There will be 28 regional anesthesia and acute pain parallel sessions and 31 hands-on workshops. For chronic pain topics, there will be 19 parallel sessions and 12 hands-on workshops. Also included are 24 problem-based learning discussions, a full-day Physician Assistant/Nurse Practitioner/Nurse program, special Resident/Fellow workshops, and plenty of ePoster opportunities throughout the meeting. There will be no shortage of interesting sessions for you to attend.

Here are some of the highlights of the regional anesthesia program.

• 360° roundtable discussion on enhanced recovery after surgery with a patient-surgeon-anesthesiologist dialogue
• Mini symposium on how to set up a fast-track joint replacement surgery program
• Several innovations in acute pain medicine panels
• Best evidence updates on the use of local anesthetic adjuncts, intravenous analgesics, and neuraxial anesthesia and analgesia
• Interactive “tips for experts by experts” sessions to discuss challenging clinical cases through procedure video presentations, medico-legal case discussions with lawyer participation, and a number of pro-con debates to address contemporary concepts and controversies

The chronic pain program comprises:

• Newer topics feature regenerative medicine, marijuana and cannabinoids in chronic pain management, relevant anatomy and imaging to improve success in pain diagnosis and treatment, complications of chronic pain management, and medico-legal case discussion with lawyer participation.
• The Ultrasonography in Pain Medicine special interest group (SIG)–initiated panel will feature advances in musculoskeletal imaging and interventions.
• The Neuromodulation SIG session will discuss best practices and safety of neuromodulation therapy.
• The Headache SIG panel will present modern headache care involving neurology and interventional pain medicine.
• A member-submitted panel on challenging centralized pain syndromes will round out the member-submitted topics and expert faculty.

Some global issues included in the program are:

• Opioid epidemics: global perspective on the appropriate use of chronic opioids
• An International Neuromodulation Society (INS) panel focusing on advances in neuromodulation
• An international panel discussing outcomes that matter to regional anesthesia
• International perspectives on education in regional anesthesia and acute pain medicine
• Innovative pain medicine initiatives around the world

Workshop Highlights Beyond the Regular Offerings

New Regional Anesthesia Topics.

• Half-day, preconference workshop titled “Introduction to Perioperative Point-of-Care Ultrasound” on airway, lung, diaphragm, stomach, and eFAST
• Half-day, preconference workshop titled “Introduction to Focused Cardiac Ultrasound” covering transthoracic echocardiography
• Interactive demonstration workshops focusing on newer block techniques such as PECS, serratus plane, iPACK, quadratus lumborum, erector spinae, and retrolaminar blocks
• Half-day cadaver needling and catheter insertion hands-on practice
• Ultrasound for neuraxial blockade for difficult spine anatomy
• Half-day special cadaver dissection and anatomy workshop
• Mini boutique New York School of Regional Anesthesia 3D anatomy and live scanning workshop

New Chronic Pain Topics.

• Ultrasound for regenerative medicine
• Half-day advanced neuromodulation techniques (DRG/HF, peripheral, trigeminal, lamitrode)
• Half-day musculoskeletal ultrasound for joint examination and injection
• Half-day interventional cancer pain management involving neurolytic blocks, intrathecal pump, and vertebroplasty

Other exciting offerings include high-fidelity simulator workshops for thoracic blocks and crisis management for the regional anesthesiologist. Again, a registration discount is provided as an incentive for delegates from low-income countries to attend. Traditional landmark and nerve stimulator–based nerve block techniques will be taught in addition to ultrasound. New interactive sessions will teach prevention of physician burnout and stress management and a new concept of green anesthesia: the leading role of regional anesthesia.

“Together with our four sister societies (African, Asian and Oceanic, European, and Latin American Societies of Regional Anesthesia), we are committed to catering this world-class education event.”

The Wednesday premeeting sessions will provide opportunities for attendees to obtain two important certifications:

• Written and practical exam for the ASRA Pain and MSK Interventional Ultrasound Certificate
• European Diploma in Regional Anesthesia & Acute Pain Management (EDRA) Part 1 written exam

Resident And Fellow Workshop Highlights

A full-day preconference Advanced Neuromodulation Comprehensive Hands-On Workshop with Practical Case Management for Future Implanters will provide didactic and hands-on training led by 17 world-class experts geared exclusively to pain fellows. Scholarships for this non–continuing medical education event will be provided as a result of a detailed application process. In addition, three special Resident and Fellow workshops are planned: one for regional anesthesia and perioperative point-of-care ultrasound, one for chronic pain fluoroscopy-guided injections, and one for ultrasound-guided injections.

Nursing And Physician Assistant Program Highlights

Physician assistants, nurse practitioners, and nurses are an integral part of the meeting. A full-day, dedicated program will provide an update on opioids, low-back pain physical assessment and interventions, and chronic pain management in special challenging patient populations. We extend a warm welcome to our nursing and physician assistant colleagues to attend not only the dedicated program but the entire World Congress.

Social Events

After a day of intensive learning, we invite you to enjoy a time of relaxation and social gathering with your colleagues. Come to the World Congress Opening Ceremony on Thursday to greet the presidents of the five regional anesthesia and pain medicine societies and enjoy a New York–style entertainment show performance (exact nature to be kept secret at this time) before heading to the Wine and Bubbly reception. On Saturday, all are welcome to the Saturday Celebration overlooking Times Square.

Are you coming to New York, the city that never sleeps? Are you coming to the first ever ASRA-hosted World Congress of RAPM? I hope you are! Come and experience this international gathering where education, scholarly exchange, and networking opportunities are all bundled together in the typical ASRA family style. We look forward to welcoming you to the World Congress next April. See you in New York!