Our correspondent Christina Sählbrandt has a dispatch from the floor of the AANS (American Association of Neurological Surgeons) conference in San Fransisco:
Medical devices on display in Moscone Center South were showcased in approx. 200 booths. After a few aisles, the stuff tends to look alike – drills, shunts, pain management electrodes, and endless spinal implants and grafts. Stereotactic imaging systems continue to fascinate, or maybe I just fell for the displays – like Mission Control!
With all these devices, how can a surgeon gain practice using them? The Medical Education and Research Institute (MERI) operates a facility in Memphis, TN, plus they set up mobile labs all over the country. They set up the surgical clinic facilities for AANS. MERI has an associated foundation, Genesis Legacy, that facilitates donations of cadavers. Being an engineer amongst all the surgeons and salespeople, perhaps I was the only one who felt creepiness set in. However, after talking to the extremely nice folks manning the booth, and watching their DVD, it all appeared much more normal and natural to me. Information at http://www.meri.org and http://www.genesislegacy.org
Also, there’s a call-out to anyone that has ideas for building a better shunt – the Hydrocephalus Association has awards for neurological residents. There are also several scholarships for individuals with this condition. More info is available at their website.
Thanks, Christina! And readers — if you see anything interesting at a conference, please let us know by dropping a line to tips /at/ www.medgadget.com