Been doing some blog maintenance, as it was pointed out to me that the links had all died, so I’m also trying something new here…linking in YouTube videos. Bear with me while I test, and watch this old clip from flying Betty’s Bay in 2006. Can you remember the days before GoPro cameras, wrist-watch vario’s and reversiblebackpack-harnesses? Look at the size of those things!
Aha! It works. More to follow 🙂
Great flight this morning from Goedverwact Microlight Airfield near Durbanville with Keith, Callie, Martin, Hannes, Mias and Thys. I was particularly glad to get in the air, as my PPG motor needed some work done recently and I was worried about misbehaviour. We kitted up before sunrise beneath heavily overcast skies with a low cloudbase, but the morning blessed us with a gentle northerly wind in which to launch and then cool, calm flying conditions. I’m afraid you will have to put up with iPhone photos, as I have lent my usual flying camera to my friends Cathy & Andrew as they depart for a motorbike circuit of South America: they’ll get better use out of it! I’ll use it as an excuse to take my SLR flying instead, *grin*.
Our route meandered through the Durbanville Hills to the west until we reached Morningstar Airfield, where we did some low passes and admired other flying machines while they admired us. Thereafter we cruised through the farmlands at low level, following the river for a while. We then turned east and flew to the Klipheuwel wind turbines, landing back at Goedverwacht.
What a pleasure, in good company – thanks guys!
By request of a few folks and for the sake of convenience, I’ve packaged all my notes from the refresher and congress into one bundle. The usual disclaimers apply.
That’s all, folks… the 2012 SASA Congress is over. Great gala dinner last night as well: I found myself getting jiggy on the dancefloor with people who I’ve read in the Lancet/A&A/NEJM/etc. Makes you remember that we’re all people at the end of the day, and just about all of us share in the love of a good party. Today was also a shorter day, ending at lunchtime with a great pro-con debate on Evidence Based Medicine which was both serious and very funny. I’m afraid the notes don’t do it justice, but that’s why you have to submit abstracts, give lectures and get to conferences!
I’ll combine all the notes into one document at some stage, but for now here are my notes from the last day:
SASA Congress 2012 – Ross’ Rough Notes – Congress Day 3
Quip of the day: The forensic psychiatrist who gave the lecture on “The Disruptive Doctor” comes on stage and peers out over the packed auditorium. “Interesting,” he says, “I had no idea so many anaesthetists wanted to see a psychiatrist!”
The penultimate day is done. How time flies when you’re having fun. Tonight is the gala dinner, which should be entertaining, if only to see everyone in their frippery and finery 😉
Here are my rough notes for today – please feel free to share. The usual disclaimers regarding accuracy and typographical errors apply.
First day of the Congress proper today (last two ays were the refresher course). I barely took any notes, as I was tied up presenting in the morning and then playing… uh, learning at the airway workshops all afternoon. I did manage to attend two talks in the haemodynamics stream, for which my rough notes are available here:
SASA Congress 2012 – Ross’ Rough Notes – Congress Day 1
My presentation on adjuncts to local anaesthetics for peripheral nerve blockage is on the Presentations page, or click on the following link:
Ross Hofmeyr – Adjuncts to Local Anaesthetics for Peripheral Nerve Blockade – SASA 2012
A shorter day today, and so fewer notes. I also blame the fact that I was on call last night (paeds anaesthesia) a barely managed a nap from six to seven this morning before hitting the Congress, so please forgive brevity and errors. There was a parallel anaesthesia nursing stream as well as private practice and transoesophageal echo workshops, of which I attended none, favouring sleep 😉 The congress proper begins tomorrow.
SASA Congress 2012 – Ross’ Rough Notes – Refresher Day 2
On a lighter note, some of us found the solution to painful presentations… cappucino 😉
Trying to remain true to my form of keeping real-time notes from conferences, I was ready today with laptop on my knees for the first day of the SASA 2012 pre-congress anaesthesia refresher course. See the congress web-page for details of the program, speakers, etc.
SASA Congress 2012 – Ross’ Rough Notes – Refresher Day 1
The organisers have promised that most presentations will be available online after the congress.
Disclaimer – I keep these notes for myself, and am always happy to share, but as they are taken very quickly duing the talks and generally remain unedited, I can’t be held responsible for errors. Take it or leave it… *grin*
The last two days I have eschewed my ‘new’ habit of cycling to work in favour of a much earlier start, but a greater reward: powered paraglider “Dawn Patrols”. Keith Pickersgill of Xplorer PPG invited me to join them in flying from Kreeftebaai just south of Melkbosstrand on Monday at 05h15 (just in time to catch sunrise from the air), and it was such a success we repeated the effort this morning, with 6-8 pilots each time. It means a four o’clock start from home for me, about an hour’s flying and then quick pack to be back in the car in the notorious West Coast traffic to arrive in ICU by 0730… but what a payout 😉
I flew with the new Go Pro HD Hero 2 for the first times, and will hopefully get around to putting a little video together, but here are some quick frame grabs from this morning:
Skimming along over the waves shortly after launching (and remembering to activate the helmet camera…)
Climbing up to meet the sunrise over the beach south of Melkbos
Ground-skimming through the veld at first light
Dawn patrollers
800ft over Melkbos on the way to work 😉
…just finished in Cape Town today. I was fortunate to present on the pre-conference airway course, and then attend the rest for the last 3 day. The full collection of presentations will be made available later on freeemergencytalks.net, but in the meantime, click here to download my rough notes (PDF): EMSSA 2011 – Very Rough Notes
A taste of the airway course magic (or madness?):
(Demonstrating self-laryngoscopy with the King Video Laryngoscope)