Chair’s Message for the Fall 2024 Neurotrauma Section Newsletter
Dear Colleagues,
With the CNS annual meeting coming up this fall, it’s a good time to reflect on the essence of lifelong learning in neurotrauma. The field of neurosurgery is ever-evolving, and staying at the forefront requires us to be both students and teachers throughout our careers. Our commitment to continuous education is crucial — not just in terms of learning new techniques, but also in how we treat our patients and approach the challenges we face daily.
One of the biggest obstacles we encounter is the tendency to become anchored in the beliefs and practices we learned during our residency. In neurosurgery, it’s easy to hold on to these practices as if they were gospel, sometimes without questioning whether they still hold true in light of new evidence or innovations. For example, a principle I’ve carried with me since my residency at UPMC is the idea of never pulling a drain after 3 pm.
Yet, as much as these ingrained beliefs guide us, we must remain open to change. The field of neurotrauma is not static, and neither should our approach to it be. We must balance respect for the foundational knowledge we gained during our training with a willingness to embrace new ideas, techniques and technologies that could improve patient outcomes.
So, how do we learn new things and adapt our practices when new techniques evolve, and old ones are proven wrong? Peer learning is one powerful way, as it allows us to exchange knowledge and experiences directly. However, peer learning can sometimes become very regional and territorial, leading to the mentality of “this is the way we do things here.” Welcoming someone new to your group can bring fresh perspectives and potentially better approaches. Staying open to these new ideas is crucial for growth.
Of course, we also rely on the literature published in our field. Journal clubs, particularly those focused on practices you want to change, can be extremely valuable, especially when followed by a thorough discussion. Neurosurgery has become highly subspecialized, and to stay updated on debates and developments in the field, it is essential to join groups that share your specific interests. The Section on Neurotrauma and Critical Care is one such group, and I encourage you to explore the content we’ve created, particularly from the CNS meeting. You’ll find an overview in this newsletter, along with details of the newly released Penetrating TBI guidelines.
Guidelines are another critical tool that helps us evaluate and adjust our practice patterns against the latest knowledge. You will find an update on the recently completed penetrating TBI guidelines in this newsletter. Guidelines complement the expert opinions we gain from case-based discussions, which have become a cornerstone of learning at annual meetings and are ideally suited to the adult learner.
I hope you find valuable insights in this newsletter, and I thank you for being a member of the Joint Section on Neurotrauma and Critical Care. Next year, we will be celebrating our 40th anniversary, and I can’t wait to celebrate this milestone with you.
Best regards,
Martina Stippler MD, FAANS
Chair, Neurotrauma Section
Director of Neurotrauma Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center
Department of Neurosurgery Harvard Medical School