Event report from BSP Participant Matt Irwin who received support to attend!

In March 2012 I was fortunate enough to have been accepted to present my research at the 15^th World Congress of Anaesthesiologists in Buenos Aires, Argentina.  WCA is the peak international anaesethic conference occurring once every four years and attracting over 10,000 delegates.  It is the benchmark for best practice in Anaesthesiology and related specialties.

My research aimed to identify the best way of managing pain in hip fracture patients from rural and remote Australia.  Currently, we use opioids like morphine to do this, but these frequently cause the patient to become hypoxic, sedated and experience nausea and vomiting.  To combat these shortcomings, we proposed a new method be trialled at Port Macquarie Base Hospital involving a painless infusion of local anaesethic into a space near the hip joint.  To be sure the new method is indeed the way forward we compared it to patients at Coffs Harbour Base Hospital who received opioids like morphine.  We were able to show that the new method led to patients with less pain,less hypoxia, less sedation and less nausea and vomiting.

I also had the opportunity to experience the natural wonders of Argentina including bustling cities, harsh desert, supra-Antarctic glaciers and the mighty power of natural waterfalls larger than Niagara Falls.

WCA and my experiences in Argentina provided a fantastic opportunity for me to further broaden my professional knowledge and provide useful information about improving the health of rural and remote Australians.  In addition, I was able to attain useful contacts for future rural employment or post-graduate training placements and I am very grateful for the $1,000 assistance provided to me by the BSP.  I strongly encourage other bonded students to access the BSP and I wish more students could share the opportunities provided to me by the program.

Have you received special funding from the Bonded Support Program to attend a conference? Would you like to find out if you are eligble?

Contact the Bonded Support Program for more information on 1800 223 226 or email bondedsupportacrrm [dot] org [dot] au