The Live Surgery Suite sessions are to be performed remotely at Mississippi State University and at the Veterinary Specialty Hospital of San Diego. Attendees will be able to watch a tibial plateau leveling osteotomy, a pediatric spay and neuter, a bone marrow aspiration and biopsy, a joint tap, a chest tube placement, a jugular catheter placement, an esophagostomy tube placement and an endotracheal wash. A panel of experts onstage will walk the audience through what is being shown, display the equipment used and answer questions, said John Fritschler, AAHA's director of education. The viewing is to be done on a 122-foot-wide by 22-foot-tall high-definition screen. “No other conference has anything like this available,” Fritschler added. The videos will be added to AAHA's online Learning Library at www.aahaeducation.org and may be accessed for free or for a fee, depending on the viewer. “Our new learning environment allows us to promote adult learning with in-depth, interactive presentations on relevant and practical topics,” said Michael Cavanaugh, DVM, Dipl. ABVP, executive director and CEO of the Lakewood, Colo., association. The Live Surgery Suite is here to stay, Fritschler said. “Over the next few years, there will be a wide variety of procedures performed, including cutting-edge techniques,” he said, “which is why this is going to be an incredible series. “The industry should soon realize that AAHA isn't about your grandfather's education anymore,” Fritschler added. In other news, AAHA will offer a free iPhone/Android mobile app featuring a conference schedule, a list of exhibitors and speakers, news feeds and AAHA social networks. “We hope that launching our app this year will make it easier than ever to unite our community of outstanding veterinary professionals,” Cavanaugh said. “This app is a great addition to our collection of social communication tools.” The conference starts Thursday and runs through Sunday.
