The annual Midwest Anesthesia Residents Conference, held in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, from April 14-16 was a great success. Residents, fellows, faculty and students from 35 different institutions throughout the Midwest gathered to present their unique and medically challenging cases and describe novel research and quality improvement projects.
The UNMC Department of Anesthesia was well represented at the conference, with six presentations and two first-place award recipients.
Hayden Brodersen, MD, took first place for his case report titled “Acute postoperative hepatic torsion around the inferior vena cava following right partial hepatectomy.” Dr. Brodersen’s project highlighted the difficulties of diagnosing hemophagocytic lymphohistiocytosis, commonly called HLH, in the intensive care unit.
Zachary Schell, MD, also placed first for his case report titled “Intraoperative management of a liver transplantation in the setting of acute liver failure from acetaminophen overdose”. Dr. Schell’s report described the difficulty of managing acute liver failure patients during a liver transplant because of their high rates of brain swelling, dysfunctional blood clotting factors, metabolic disturbances and other variables.
HLH, Dr. Broderson said, causes inflammation and multiorgan failure and can masquerade as sepsis, making it difficult to diagnose. The case report illustrated the elusiveness of this diagnosis, emphasized the need for further diagnostic clarity and highlighted the importance of multidisciplinary teams, including hematology experts that can guide diagnosis and treatment.
“Ultimately, I hope it serves as a reminder to keep HLH on the differential diagnosis in ICU patients,” Dr. Brodersen said.
Dr. Brodersen said the project was a great learning opportunity as a resident and was excited to have had the opportunity to present his project at the GME research symposium on May 3.
“I’m very fortunate to be working with great mentors and within a department that supports residents who want to present at conferences like MARC, which greatly adds to the learning that takes place during residency,” Dr. Brodersen said.
Program director of the critical care fellowship Shaun Thompson, MD, served as a mentor for the project and expressed his excitement about bringing back a first-place award.
“This was an extraordinarily difficult case with very difficult pathology to understand and treat and Dr. Brodersen did a wonderful job,” Dr. Thompson said. “Taking all those things into consideration, along with Dr. Brodersen’s outstanding presentation, I am not at all shocked that he won a first-place award. Congratulations on a job very well done!”
Dr. Schell said he hopes performing this case report allows other medical providers to gain insight into potential treatment strategies for patients in a similar situation, possibly introducing an idea or treatment decision that otherwise might be missed.
“I would like to believe this case report will help educate and prepare care providers who might encounter a similar scenario,” Dr. Schell said. “It might also motivate a provider to improve our current treatment decisions to further improve outcomes. Regardless, the ultimate goal is to improve patient care.”
Dr. Schell said presenting at the conference was an incredibly rewarding experience and is grateful to have received the award.
“The conference is filled with incredible individuals presenting on amazing cases and topics. To even be considered for an award makes me feel grateful,” Dr. Shell said. “The overall process was also quite educational and motivated me to gain a greater understanding of acute liver failure and liver transplants.”
Assistant professor Rachel Quandahl, MD, served as mentor on the project and offered her congratulations to Dr. Schell on his achievement.
“Congratulations to Dr. Schell on his well-deserved award at MARC,” Dr. Quandahl said. “Zach is an incredible resident and did a fantastic job helping us manage this challenging case.”