2004 ASA Annual Meeting & Scientific Presentations Preview

To: Health Reporters and Writers

From: American Society of Anesthesiologists

Re: 2004 Annual Meeting & Scientific Presentations

The latest in medical research, techniques and equipment for providing safe anesthesia care and pain medicine to patients will be unveiled when the American Society of Anesthesiologists (ASA) holds its annual meeting on October 23-27, 2004, in Las Vegas, Nevada. Following are just a few highlights of the more than 1,300 scientific sessions to be presented in the Las Vegas Convention Center.

"¢ Anesthesiologist researchers are buzzing about a first-of-its-kind study that suggests a clinically relevant, beneficial effect of caffeine in patients with traumatic brain injury.

"¢ Findings from a national database show that a paradigm shift in pain management may have led to abuse of pain medications, particularly oxycodone in which abuse increased over 106% from 2000-2002.

"¢ A large, six-month study concludes that seeing an anesthesiologist well before a surgical procedure not only greatly improves patient satisfaction and safety, but has the potential to save untold amounts of money for cash-strapped health care institutions.

"¢ Surgery and a movie, why not? Patients say, "It was the best surgical experience I've ever had" after using movie-viewing goggles as a distraction while under regional anesthesia.

We request that members of the media register for media credentials online or by telephone prior to attending the conference. In the coming weeks, additional meeting materials, including the pre-meeting media registration form, will be posted to the ASA Web site.

To register via the ASA Web site, go to http://www2.asahq.org/web/miscfiles/04mediareg.asp at anytime.

The above Web site also features a reservation section for hotels (including rates), and discounted airline travel and rental cars.

To make hotel reservations by telephone, please call 1-800-974-7916. Representatives can be reached Monday through Friday between the hours of 8 a.m. and 5 p.m. CST.

We look forward to seeing you in Las Vegas!