NEWSLETTER FOR MEDCON’23 CONFERENCE
This year’s conference, MEDCON’23 was an unforgettable experience as a whole. More than labeling it as an event, it was a learning adventure. The event was themed under the topic “RESUSCITATE”. The conference was conducted for two days, the 7th and 8th of October, at Ivana Javakhishvili State University, Building 1, Second Floor,1 Ilia Chavchavadze Avenue. It was one of the biggest student conferences ever seen in Georgia, Tbilisi, housing over a hundred participants.
Major sponsors of the event include Universitas Tphilisensis, Project IMG network, Global Consortium of Medical Education and Research (GCMER), Red Radisson, and Osmosis. Tickets for this event were sold online on tkt.ge.
DAY 1
Registration started by 10 am. Until 11 am, tickets were being scanned to let participants in the venue. A range of doctors from different specialties were present to speak about different topics relating to Emergency Medicine. Students were also given the opportunity to display their abstract poster designs relating to different topics in Emergency Medicine during the breakout session. The winner of the Abstract poster design was rewarded with a 3-month subscription by Osmosis.
A brief introduction of the event was provided by the co-founder, Onyekachi Emmanuel Anyagwa at 11:00 a.m. He welcomed participants into the event and spoke a little about what was in store for attendees to look out for.
At around 11:30 a.m., the first speaker came onto the stage. Anushka Sen, a med-student, spoke on utilizing AI in Emergency Medicine. She talked about using AI in triage and the benefits, how it helps determine the priority for ER patients, indicating the patients who need immediate medical intervention by using real-time data thereby helping the physician to make better decisions. She also further explained how AI allows the computer to predict the type of medicine entering the hospital at any time and the necessary resources needed, along with how it assists in Emergency dispatch.
At around noon, the next speaker, Dr. Kate Kapanadze who holds an MD and PhD Degree and specializes in internal medicine and cardiology, at around noon, began her talk on Pancreatitis complicated with Takotsubo Cardiomyopathy. She is affiliated with Tbilisi Central Hospital and works in the Department of Internal Medicine. During the conference, she spoke more in-depth about the cause of Pancreatitis and an explanation of what Takotsubo Cardiomyopathy is.
A short summary depicted a talk on pancreatitis being caused by alcohol consumption and Takotsubo cardiomyopathy is stressed-induced reversible dysfunction of the left ventricle. A case was presented with a chief complaint of epigastric pain radiating to the back with a history of alcoholism. The patient consumed alcohol in excess and had no history of surgery and allergy. On physical examination, the patient was seen to experience distress and was malnourished. Vital signs being abnormal showing tachycardia, tachypnea, skin pale, cool, clammy, diminished chest auscultation and Murphy sign being negative were other known signs of the patient. Diagnostic tests were performed, which gave results of elevated lipase level, reduced platelet, mildly elevated inflammatory markers, elevated GGT, low PCO2, and HCO3. CT angiography revealed no occlusion was seen, and troponin was elevated.
The third speaker for the day was Dr Fikria Zhvaniya, a medical doctor with a degree from Nizhny Novgorod State Medical Academy, with specialized training in Pediatrics and a PhD in the field. She is also a Pediatric emergency physician at Givi Zhvania Pediatric Clinic under Tbilisi State Medical University and at New Hospital Tbilisi. She also went on to specialize in Pediatric Emergency Medicine. She is a lecturer in Pediatrics at New Vision University. She has also managed and published various projects and published many research papers. She spoke from 12:30 pm to 1:00 pm.
During the conference, she talked about various clinical cases. She also provided insight on how to address skin rashes in Peds ER, when you see skin rash always check for associated symptoms, check if it’s serious, check the mucous membranes and never ignore it. It was an interactive an communicative session where participants were also given a chance to figure out differential diagnoses to come to a conclusive diagnosis of a few cases.
From 1:00 p.m. to 2:30 p.m., a lunch break and Poster Presentation were scheduled. While students presented their abstract poster design, delicious meals were served and there was a networking opportunity for students to connect with their peers and communicate with doctors and speakers that were present. Students also took pictures with the banners made for the event
After the break, the fourth speaker, Michael E Hermosa, a speaker from Project IMG (International Medical Community) gave a talk on Project IMG. Valuable information about the genesis and its mission – which is to advance the quality of medical education and knowledge – was also spoken. Details on various scientists and clinical advisors of Project IMG were also provided. Additionally, the project of Project IMG was discussed, which is to build an organization together for strategic allegiance in order to bring the community together to create an impact on studies worldwide. The main takeaway was that Project IMG creates a program accessible to all, to have access to US education and research opportunities
The Next speaker for the day was Dr Koka Gogichashvili, a neurosurgeon and a research enthusiast. He graduated from Tbilisi State Medical University who trained and worked in Turkey and France. He is currently a neurosurgery lecturer at New Vision University and a member of the European Stroke Association. He has an interest in Endovascular Treatment of the Brain and Spine Vascular Pathologies. Alongside with being a Neurosurgeon, he is also the founder of the Neurosurgical Research and Scientific Club.
During the conference he spoke on modern techniques to treat subarachnoid hemorrhage, he talked in-depth on the topic and what can be seen in a patient with subarachnoid hemorrhage with relevant images. He also explained some diagnostic methods like CTA, MRA, and cerebral angiogram. Management strategies were also discussed where he explained that the aim is firstly to allow the brain to recover from initial bleeding and then prevent or treat other complications. Later, a video illustration showing clipping of the neck of an aneurysm, which is one of the surgical interventions for subarachnoid hemorrhage, was also displayed.
Lastly, Dr. Marcos A. Sanchez-Gonzalez, a doctor, CEO, Researcher, and Professor talked about research and approaches to do research. He is currently the Vice President and Chief Scientific Officer at Dr. Ferrer BioPharma, FL, USA. He is the President and CEO of MDaedificare LLC, FL, USA. He has a clinical experience in Ferrer Primary Care and Pulmonary. His Professional certificate includes MIT Xpro Drug and Medical Device Development. He is also a Board Certified Exercise Physiologist who has various other innumerable valuable certifications in his bag.
He spoke on having a plan before embarking on a research journey and also enlightened attendees on what physicians look for in candidates along with how to be the best candidates to provide the best research. He also spoke on research opportunities and the importance of having a mentor to help and guide students. He mentioned various recognized problems students can encounter while doing a research project and how to correct and avoid them with a few good medical journals to guide a student while researching.
The final, yet the best part of the day was four workshops occurring simultaneously that students registered to attend. Productive and informative workshops were the essence of the evening.
GYNECOLOGY WORKSHOP:
This workshop was headed by Dr. Tiko Kutchukhidze. During this workshop, she taught and demonstrated some gynecology examinations, speculum examination, techniques in performing bacterioscopy and bacteriology on a medical mannequin. She also enlightened students on different forms of contraceptives and demonstrated Leopold’s maneuver.
Advanced Trauma Life Support (ATLS) WORKSHOP:
This was directed by Dr Nika Zirakishvili. Students were taught the initial assessment and resuscitation of a trauma patient. They went further to demonstrate the ABCDE technique for primary assessment in a trauma patient. Students also learned steps to address a burn patient, life-threatening injuries, and how to intubate a trauma patient. During this workshop, students actively participated and demonstrated the techniques on a mannequin for further evaluation.
SUTURING WORKSHOPS:
Members of GIMSOC were the major pillars of making this workshop a reality. Porcine legs were used during this workshop. Students were taught how to clean, irrigate, and suture the wounds present.
MENTAL HEALTH EMERGENCIES WORKSHOP:
This was conducted by Dr. Mariamy Chrdileli. During this workshop, students were taught how to handle mental crises. At the end of the workshop, students were divided into groups and were asked to volunteer and act out different scenarios while other students managed the situation. The doctor monitored to make sure that the students were able to apply their acquired knowledge in practice.
DAY 2
With an overwhelmingly positive response for the first day of the event, MEDCON began right where it left on the 8th of October. With a short introduction at around 11:00 am to ramp up the energy of the event, the day progressed to present more speakers with Emergency Medicine being the connecting spot.
A speech on ultrasound in emergency practice was given by Dr. Tina Makharadze, who spoke on a practical segment of medical healthcare in understandable terminologies with
ease. The use of ultrasound as an imaging technique in the field of Emergency Medicine was explained in detail in response to thoracic, abdominal, and cardiac abnormalities.
Cases of examination spoken about in the conference include pleural effusions, pneumothorax, cholecystitis, renal stones, Morrison’s pouch, echocardiograms, IV catheterization and a few other ultrasound-guided procedures. Other major highlights include the FALLS protocol and different categories of shock with respect to ultrasound.
The next talk was given by Dr. Tiko Kutchukhidze, an obstetrician and gynecologist who is a Diana Award recipient. She had been working with MEDCON for the gynecological workshops as well. Apart from the ABC of gynecology as a whole, her lecture spoke on various emergencies in the field of obstetrics and gynecology. Various points of concern such as abdominal pain, contraceptive methods, emergency contraceptives, and unforeseen circumstances such as emergency labor in a plane.
Dr. David Modebadze was the next speaker on the stage, with an informative seminar about secondary complications of trauma. A major attribute of secondary complications, compartment syndrome was discussed in detail. Prolonged compression being the solid cause of this condition, mechanisms due to which the same can lead to the syndrome were discussed.
The two-point finger discrimination test, vibration frequency test, and saline pressure test were also spoken about as diagnostic criteria for the syndrome.
Various methods of management, including fasciotomy, especially for higher pressures with volar curvilinear incisions, were talked over during the speech. The talk also covered complications such as ischemia, tissue necrosis, Volkman’s contractions, fat emboli, and fat embolism syndrome along with their diagnostic criteria and treatment.
The next talk of the day was about common emergencies seen in urology, lead by Dr. Alexander Khelaia, a well-renowned professor in urology with an MD and PhD. The presence of emergency cases in urology with complicated UTIs and stone diseases was said.
A few case discussions were also done by the professor. It included Esbl strain bacteria UTI in a patient with reoccurring stones in the kidney, 2 × extracorporeal lithotripsy, and infection with E.coli esbl strain.
The final talk of the day revolved around emergent infectious diseases, a concerning factor in recent ages. Dr. Tahseen J Siddiqui, an Infectious Disease Consultant, was gracious to present the topic to the attendees. The importance of rapid diagnosis, empiric treatment, and source of control was mentioned in the talk. With respect to sepsis, the classification (Sirs, sepsis, severe sepsis, septic shock) was stressed in accordance with recognizing its timing and progression.
Talks on the nuance of antibiotics timing– hour 1 bundle, measuring lactate and starting of broad-spectrum drugs, starting resuscitation with crystalloids, and the use of vasopressors in taking care of patients was also a point of concern shared. Identifying possible infective organisms to streamline the treatment procedure was said to be of great help in the talk.
Necrotizing soft tissue infections and their signs – Red flag, purple or red bullous lesions, pain on palpation over contiguous but superficially unaffected areas, indistinct margins, crepitus, loss of sensation distal to the affected area, abdominal/flank/perineal sites (Fournier’s gangrene), and rapid progression – were presented in detail for the students to look for.
Toxic shock syndrome was also spoken about in short detail with respect to the causes being acute meningitis, rabies, botulism, and clostridium.
As the speakers concluded their part for the day, a suturing workshop by GIMSOC members and a toxicology workshop highlighting baseline steps to take care of a patient with toxicity of various substances were held in the evening to end the event on a high note.
Overall, MEDCON winded up being a successful event with attendees having the ability to witness and take back helpful information and great wisdom from great doctors and talented students to utilize in their medical careers in the future.