Moving Forward

Brendan D. Lewis, M.D., FRCSC
President, Canadian Orthopaedic Association

The 61^st COA Annual Meeting that took place from June 2^nd-4^th in Toronto was a tremendous success. As you may recall, the Toronto meeting that was scheduled in 2003 was cancelled due to the SARS epidemic. A special recognition goes to Doug Thomson for his strong negotiations with the Sheraton Centre Hotel that allowed us to hold the meeting this year without any financial penalties.

We had an excellent turnout of attendees. Industry support was outstanding. The academic and social aspects of this meeting were enjoyed by all.

The symposia were very stimulating and informative especially the Private vs. Public Health Care debate. No concrete answers were formulated but a blended system was discussed.

The new “Tips & Tricks” format was particularly well received by all reports.

This meeting was both memorable and complicated for Dolores and me. Representing the COA as its President, only the second from Newfoundland and Labrador, and as a community orthopaedic surgeon, is a significant honour for me.

Imagine my surprise when I was diagnosed with congestive heart failure and atrial fibrillation only a week after the Annual Meeting. This, combined with five days in the Coronary Care Unit, echocardiograms, cardiac catherization and a transesophageal echocardiogram was not what I had expected in becoming the President of the COA. I knew I was really ill when I heard a diagnosis of metabolic acidosis requiring bicarbonate and a dopamine drip. What a shock! Delivering the President-Elect Address in fast AF and CHF was a formidable challenge with the associated shortness of breath.

The next step was the cardioversion.

One additional realization came from all this intervention and experience: The heart does more than pump Kefzol to the bone!