Greeting
The 11th annual meeting of the Japanese Society for Acute Care Surgery
The 7th Joint Congress with the Korean Society for Acute Care Surgery
President: Hidemitsu Mototake
(Hospital Director, Okinawa Chubu Hospital)
It is an honor to be an organizer of such a prestigious academic society and I would like to express my sincere gratitude to all members. On October 25 (Fri.) and 26 (Sat.), 2019, the 11th Annual Meeting of the Japan Society for Acute Care Surgery and the 7th Joint Congress with the Korean Society for Acute Care Surgery will be held at the Okinawa Institute of Science and Technology (OIST) Graduate University.
Acute care surgery was found in the US as a new field of surgery against a background of fewer cases of trauma and fewer candidates for emergency general surgery, with the goal of addressing these issues. On the other hand, there are few surgeon candidates in our country as well, and young surgeons tend to choose specialty fields of surgery rather than general surgery, including trauma surgery. Looking at where treatment takes place, we believe the case of acute care surgery will increase in number and complexity as our nation continues toward becoming a super-aging society. Acute care surgery is a combination of trauma surgery, emergency surgery, and surgical critical care. Among them, the importance of surgical critical care is increasing further in emergency general surgery for elderly patients who have medical disorders. Standard treatments for acute general surgery have been heavily debated at the Japanese Association for the Surgery of Trauma and the Japanese Society for Abdominal Emergency Surgery. They share two points, which are quick response capability and surgical dynamism. I personally believe that experiencing emergency general surgery at some time in their life is indispensable for increasing a surgeon’s ability and cultivating adaptability. Additionally, doctors’ work styles have been becoming a problem in our country. Even among surgeons, with emergency treatment provision demanded 24 hours a day, 365 days a year, acute surgeons’ work style is a serious problem. There is a difference in work styles between cities and local communities, and between big hospitals and small-medium hospitals. An acute care surgeon must be healthy to provide safe treatment and to fulfill their social responsibilities. Now, in addition to the surgical science that is the traditional subject for our Society, I’d also like to include doctors’ work styles as a new theme for our discussions.
Lastly, I hope all of our medical officers can make you forget about your treatment routines and relax with a blue sky and blue ocean of Okinawa. I am looking forward to seeing you all attend.