Haven’t Registered Yet?
The 29th Annual Rural Anesthesia Conference is now open for registration.
Jan 22, 2027 at the Banff Park Lodge
Trunk Nerve Blocks
Presented by:
Ryan Endersby MD FRCPC
Vivian Ip MBChB MRCP FRCA FRCP
Oswald D’Mello MD FRCPC (Can) FRCA (UK) DA MB BS
Keith Anderson B.Sc MB ChB FRCA PhD
Format:
Hands-on
Description:
Hands-on workshop with ultrasound scanning of standardized patients of Trunk Nerve Blocks
Learning Objectives:
- Discuss trunk nerve blocks including:
- Paravertebral
- Errector Spinae Plane (ESP)
- PEC I (Interpectoral) and PEC II (Pectoserratus)
- Serratus Anterior
- Outline their indications
- Delineate their effects
- Demonstrate proper ultrasound scanning techniques
- Describe proper needling techniques and local anesthetic spread
Management of Obstetrical Emergencies
Presented by:
Lindsay MacKenzie MD FRCPC MSc
Format:
Didactic
Description:
Case based review and discussion of common and/or high stake obstetrical emergencies relevant to the Anesthesiologist providing care to patients.
Learning Objectives:
At the end of this session the participant will be able to:
- Manage maternal cardiac arrest according to relevant guidelines
- Identify the parturient experiencing a clinically significant post-partum hemorrhage (PPH) and discuss management and resuscitation
- Recognize and manage Local Anesthetic Toxicity (LAST)
- Stabilize the parturient experiencing severe pre-eclampsia/eclampsia
- Identify and prioritize management steps for the parturient with “total spinal” anesthesia
Integrating AI into Perioperative Medicine: An Introduction
Presented by:
Josh Bennitz MD FRCPC
Format:
Hands-on
Description:
Artificial Intelligence (AI) is rapidly transforming medicine, including anesthesiology, by making vast amounts of knowledge instantly accessible. By harnessing the power of AI, anesthesia practitioners can streamline preoperative assessments and risk stratification, optimize intraoperative hemodynamics, implement predictive postoperative monitoring, and use vibe coding to create apps without any programming experience. Join this session to explore how these tools are shaping the future of medicine today!
Significant development and content contributions from Dr. Izaddoust Dar, FMC Anesthesiologist.
Learning Objectives:
At the end of this session, participants will be able to:
- Describe current and future applications of AI in the preoperative, intraoperative, and postoperative phases of anesthetic care.
- Identify ethical concerns and potential pitfalls of using AI in medicine.
- Build a personal grounded language model using Gemini Notebook to support preoperative assessment and patient optimization.
Even Better than the Real Thing: Simulation for Rural Anesthesia Physicians
Presented by:
Julia Haber MD FRCPC MSc
Sue Barnes RN BScN
Jennifer Semaka RN, BN, MSc
Format:
Hands-on
Description:
Join us in the operating room at the Banff Mineral Springs Hospital for simulation sessions using high fidelity mannequins and monitors. Practice your crisis resource management skills while treating anesthetic emergencies in a safe and supportive environment.
Learning Objectives:
After this immersive high-fidelity simulation experience, participants will be able to:
- Demonstrate crisis resource management (CRM) principles including teamwork, leadership, communication, situational awareness and resource utilization
- Incorporate a crisis resource manual or cognitive aid as part of their management of perioperative emergencies
- Perform the appropriate technical skills necessary to manage selected perioperative emergencies (including difficult airway management, high quality intraoperative ACLS, and medication preparation and administration)
- Return to their rural practice sites with renewed confidence in their abilities to management a crisis calmly and effectively
Making pace - pacemakers made easy in the OR
Presented by:
Christopher Noss MD FRCPC
Format:
Didactic
Description:
Participants will learn an approach to the management of patients with pacemakers and ICDs in the perioperative period.
Learning Objectives:
At the end of this session, participants will be able to:
- Describe the management of patients with pacemakers in the operating room
- Describe the management of patients with ICDs in the operating room
- Describe the management of common bradyarrhythmias and tachyarrhythmias
Improving Outcomes in Lung Disease
Presented by:
Nathan Brown MD FRCPC
Format:
Didactic
Description:
We will look at some common lung conditions and specific considerations for regional, neuraxial, general anesthesia and how to optimize patient’s chances for success.
Learning Objectives:
- Review pathology of common lung conditions
- Review Evidence of one anesthetic technique vs another
- Learn some clinical pearls from one another re: optimizing chances for best outcome
CVCO in the OR
Presented by:
Reid Hosford MD LMCC FRCPC CCFP
Greg Barton STARS Paramedic
Format:
Hands-on
Description:
When conventional airway management fails, timely decision-making and effective rescue techniques are critical. This hands-on workshop will focus on the recognition and management of a “can’t ventilate, can’t oxygenate” scenario in the operating room, with participants working through the key decision points of the difficult airway algorithm and practicing emergency front-of-neck access. Using airway mannequins and pig trachea models, participants will have the opportunity to develop and refine their technical skills in a realistic, practical setting.
Learning Objectives:
By the end of this workshop, participants will be able to:
- Recognize a “can’t ventilate, can’t oxygenate” scenario and identify the clinical and situational indicators requiring immediate escalation to a rescue airway strategy.
- Apply the key decision points of the unanticipated difficult airway algorithm to determine when optimization attempts have failed and emergency front-of-neck access is indicated.
- Demonstrate emergency front-of-neck access using appropriate equipment and technique on airway models, including pig trachea, within the context of a “can’t ventilate, can’t oxygenate” scenario.
- Select appropriate equipment and perform the essential steps of emergency front-of-neck access in a timely and structured manner.
Depth of Anesthesia Monitoring and the EEG
Presented by:
Rafi Kanji MBChB (Hons), FRCA, SFHEA, PgCert Clin Ed, FAcadMEd
Format:
Didactic
Description:
This practical session introduces the use of processed electroencephalography (EEG) to assess the effects of general anaesthesia on the brain. Using clinical examples, we will explore how to interpret the processed index alongside the raw EEG and density spectral array, recognise common patterns such as excessive anaesthetic depth and burst suppression, and identify situations in which the displayed number may be misleading. The session will focus on applying EEG information to everyday anaesthetic decision-making rather than treating the monitor as a simple measure of consciousness.
Learning Objectives:
By the end of this session, participants should be able to:
- Explain the basic principles underlying processed EEG monitoring and how commonly used depth-of-anaesthesia indices are generated.
- Recognise clinically relevant EEG patterns during general anaesthesia, including changes associated with induction, maintenance, emergence and burst suppression.
- Interpret the processed index, raw EEG waveform and density spectral array together rather than relying on a single numerical value.
- Identify common causes of misleading depth-monitor readings, including artefact, neuromuscular activity, patient age and the effects of different anaesthetic agents.
- Apply EEG information to individualise anaesthetic delivery and respond appropriately to suspected inadequate or excessive anaesthetic effect.
When Tempers Flare: Treating and Preventing Problematic Behaviours in Pediatric Patients
Presented by:
Oliver Hatheway MD FRCPC
Format:
Didactic
Description:
This session will focus on recognizing and treating pre-procedural anxiety, post-operative delirium and agitation, including an overview of Total Intravenous Anesthesia (TIVA) in pediatric patients.
Learning Objectives:
By the end of this session, participants should be able to:
-
Identify and provide multimodal strategies to manage pre-procedural anxiety in the pediatric population
-
Risk stratify and treat emergence agitation/delirium in children undergoing anesthetic care, and
-
Implement strategies to prevent problematic emergence behaviours in pediatric patients, including total intravenous anesthesia (TIVA) and/or dexmedetomidine