2020 Best Abstract Competition – live report from Sunday

The judging panel for the 2020 Best Abstract Competition had some difficult decisions to make. As in previous years, they had to choose first, second and third places from six high-quality abstract presentations.

Prof Daniela Ionescu (Iuliu Hațieganu University of Medicine and Pharmacy, Cluj-Napoca, Romania) chaired the panel. She was assisted by Prof Christian Putensen (University Hospital Bonn, Germany) and Prof Ulrike Stamer (University of Bern, Switzerland).

First prize: Dr Alberto Calvo

Dr Alberto Calvo, from Hospital General Universitario Gregorio Marañón in Madrid, Spain, won the €3,000 first prize. Alberto is 28 years old and in his fourth and final year of residency in anaesthesiology.

Abstract BAPC-4: Lidocaine increases the inhibitory effect of ex vivo lung perfusion (EVLP) on the inflammatory response in lungs obtained from asystole donors. Read Dr Calvo’s full abstract

Q: Congratulations, Alberto. What first gave you the idea for your study?

A: Thank you. I have been a member of an experimental research group since I began studying medicine. For several years we have studied the inflammatory response in lung surgery and how different molecules might modulate it.

We had already studied the effects of lidocaine on the inflammatory response in lung transplant surgery. So we decided to use lidocaine during the ex vivo lung perfusion circuit, as a novel therapy for recovering lung grafts from asystole donors before transplantation.

Q: What were the main findings and implications of your study?

A: Ex vivo lung perfusion reduced levels of inflammatory and apoptotic markers in lungs obtained from asystole donors, and lidocaine increased this effect. EVLP may therefore allow the recovery of injured lungs from asystole donors that were previously considered non-viable, making them valid candidates for transplantation. Adding lidocaine may enhance this benefit.

Second prize: Dr Lucrezia Guardini

Dr Lucrezia Guardini won the €2,000 second prize. Lucrezia is 35 years old and lives and works in Brescia, Italy, as an intensive care physician at Spedali Civili University Hospital.

Abstract BAPC-1: Functional brain alterations during delirium in ICU: a nested case-control resting-state fMRI study. Read Dr Guardini’s full abstract

Q: Well done on winning second place, Lucrezia. Why did you decide to do your study?

A: Thanks. Delirium is a well-characterised clinical condition. It matters medically because it is common and linked to adverse outcomes and mortality, especially among patients in the intensive care unit (ICU).

In our ICU we have always paid specific attention to delirium and to patient-tailored treatment through pharmacological and non-pharmacological interventions. The pathophysiology of delirium is still debated, so we reviewed the literature and investigated the neuroinflammation and network dysconnectivity hypothesis.

Q: What were the main findings and implications of your study?

A: We compared ICU patients diagnosed with delirium with healthy controls from the neuroradiology division archives. The results clearly showed functional disruption of neural networks, which might explain the disturbances in cerebral function we assess in our patients. These findings strengthen the hypothesis of a functional disconnection in cerebral areas involved in resting-state connectivity.

Third prize: Dr Max Schaefer

Dr Max Schaefer won the €1,000 third prize. Max is 36 years old. He is an attending anaesthesiologist and assistant professor at Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center and Harvard Medical School in Boston, Massachusetts, USA.

Abstract BAPC-7: Development and Validation of a Score for Prediction of Adverse Discharge in Elderly Patients after Lower Extremity Surgery (ADELES). Read Dr Schaefer’s full abstract

Q: Congratulations on third place, Max. What was the idea behind your study?

A: It was a pleasure to be in the final. Many of our patients having lower extremity surgery, such as knee arthroplasty or hip fracture repair, were very concerned about whether they could return home afterwards. So were their families.

We realised it mattered to them not just whether they would survive the hospital stay in good condition, but whether they could return to their previous, independent lives. We also realised we could not give them a good prognosis to help with their decisions.

Q: What were the main findings and implications of your study?

A: The ADELES score identifies several routinely available preoperative factors that predict adverse discharge disposition, meaning the loss of previously independent living. These factors include patient demographics, comorbidities and surgical characteristics. We were also astonished by how important socioeconomic factors were, such as being married or the patient’s insurance status.

The score proved its value when we validated it in an independent cohort from a competing hospital network. It is freely available to physicians worldwide, and we have set up the ADELES score calculator so it can be used from any smartphone.

Other finalists

The three other finalists were:

• Dr Paola Hurtado, anaesthesiologist at Hospital Clinic of Barcelona, Spain. Abstract BAPC-2: Proseal laryngeal mask attenuates haemodynamic response and coughing during awakening in Transesphenoidal Pituitary surgery: A randomized Clinical Trial. Read Dr Hurtado’s full abstract
• Dr Fiona Desmond, staff specialist anaesthetist at Austin Health, Melbourne, Victoria, Australia. Abstract BAPC-3: Does our use of marginal liver grafts for liver transplantation adversely affect our liver transplant recipients? A 5 year retrospective review comparing marginal versus non-marginal liver grafts in a large transplant centre in Melbourne. Read Dr Desmond’s full abstract
• Dr Xuehan Li, West China Hospital of Sichuan University, Chengdu, China. Abstract BAPC-5: The minimum effective volume (MEV90) of ropivacaine for ultrasound-guided caudal block in anorectal surgery. Read Dr Li’s full abstract

How the judges chose the Best Abstract Competition 2020 winners

‘In this selection, there was a good variety of topics, including animal studies, prospective clinical studies and retrospective large group studies as well. Our unanimous decision for the winner is Dr Alberto Calvo,’ said Prof Ionescu after the results were announced.

She explained how the panel judged the entries. They considered whether the research was a prospective study in anaesthesia and intensive care and how novel and potentially impactful its topic and findings were. They also looked at the study methodology, the quality of the statistics (including study group size in retrospective studies), follow-up parameters and outcomes.

‘The quality of the oral presentation and the speaker’s availability and ability to answer the questions were additional deciding factors,’ she said.

‘The panel would like to congratulate all finalists for the success of their posters, for the quality of the studies and variety of the topics,’ she added. ‘We would like to encourage more young researchers to send their abstracts for Euroanaesthesia 2021 in Munich and for subsequent years. This is always a very stimulating competition and one of the most enjoyable sessions in the congress programme.’

Related ESAIC content

For more from the virtual congress, read our Euroanaesthesia 2020 special newsletter [LINK: Euroanaesthesia 2020 special newsletter – add URL].

You can explore current ESAIC research activities or see the Society’s honorary members and awards. For the latest updates, read the ESAIC news. The next Euroanaesthesia congress is Euroanaesthesia 2027 in Copenhagen.