Welcome

M-Irfan Suleman, MD
Program Chair

Welcome to the 7th Annual Meeting of the Society for Pediatric Pain Medicine (SPPM) on February 26-28, 2020, at the Atlantis Resort, Paradise Island, Bahamas. The SPPM continues to grow with increasing membership and meeting attendance every year. This year for the first time we have created a unique and exciting three-day educational meeting designed to attract multidisciplinary clinicians, including anesthesiologists, pain physicians, psychiatrists, psychologists, physical therapists, and educators.

We are focusing on two very challenging conditions: Ehlers-Danlos Syndrome (EDS) and osteosarcoma, and have invited speakers from various disciplines to help us better understand treatment, diagnosis, and management of these complex patients. We will also hear from a patient with EDS.

Day # 1: The SPPM will be collaborating with the American Society of Regional Anesthesia and Pain Medicine (ASRA) team for a new special session that we hope will benefit members from both organizations. We have an exciting slate of speakers and topics. Dr. Karen Boretsky, the current chair of the pediatric SIG for ASRA, will kick off this new partnership with a presentation called “Neuroplasticity and fast learning: what are children 'learning' in the perioperative period.”  Dr. Adrian Bosenberg, one of the legends of regional anesthesia, will highlight new regional anesthesia blocks.  The session will conclude with Dr. Michelle Kars reviewing the evidence for reduced opioid consumption with regional analgesia and Dr. Giorgio Veneziano revisiting chloroprocaine spinal!

Following this special session, there will be three fantastic workshops, including Myth Busters/Opioids, our famous Ultrasound-Guided Chronic Pain Interventional Blocks, and a new workshop on Palliative Treatment in Pediatric Patients.

Day# 2: This will be a full day of educational activities. We will start with 12 exciting PBLDs that will create some stimulating discussions.  The first session will be Children with Ehlers-Danlos Syndrome. We will discuss Bent to the Breaking Point: Chronic Pain in Ehlers Danlos Syndrome; Diagnosis and Management of Low-pressure Headache; Perioperative Pain Management; and behavior therapies such as CBT and Biofeedback. At the end of the session we will have a live interview with an EDS patient.

The next session will be Children with Osteosarcoma, which will include a Surgeon’s Perspective on Osteosarcoma; Perioperative Pain Control; Post-op Rehabilitation Considerations of Osteosarcoma, and Management During the End-of-life Period for Children.

After lunch with exhibitors, the third session will try to expand our horizons with a presentation from another pediatric pain legend, Dr. Allen Finley, who will speak on Advocacy, Institutional Culture, and Children’s Pain. The second lecture will be from one of our invaluable pain team members, Dr. Monique Ribeiro, who will speak on the Psychiatrist’s Approach to Pediatric Chronic Pain.

Finally, poster awards will be presented by the research committee before the moderated poster sessions. The day will conclude with sensational workshops, including Integrating Acupuncture; and a new Basic Pediatric Ultrasound-Guided Regional Anesthesia Workshop for Beginners.   

Day # 3: We are delighted to introduce a new Interdisciplinary Session for non-anesthesiologist providers. This session is designed to appeal to a wide variety of pain specialists, including pediatricians psychologists, physical therapists, nurse practitioners, researchers and educators. Topics that will recovered in this session are Understanding of Pediatric Pain Pathophysiology and Assessment; Multidisciplinary Pain Management; Chronic Pain Is a Sensory Processing Problem; Risks of Prescription Opioids for Children & Adolescents; and Explaining Pain to Youth and Families. 

Atlantis Resort Paradise Island, features the world's largest open-air marine habitat; Aquaventure,  a 141-acre water park, including the iconic Mayan Temple's Leap of Faith slide; 11 incredible pools; five miles of magnificent beaches; a Tom Weiskopf-designed 18-hole, oceanfront golf course; and the Atlantis casino, all of which will make your trip memorable.

I have enjoyed serving as SPPM program chair, working with speakers and moderators to build an exciting program. I could not have accomplished this without the help and support of our team.  Special thanks go to Program Co-Chair, Dr. Marisa Wiktor; Past Meeting Chair, Dr. Vidya Chidambaran; SPPM President, Dr. Rita Agarwal; SPPM Past President, Dr. Anjana Kundu; Education Committee Chair, Dr. Robert Wilder; and Kim Battle and her team at Ruggles.  We all promise that this meeting will be an educational experience “to better care for children in pain” and of course a family fun time in Atlantis!

See you in the Bahamas!