Impressions of the 62^nd Canadian Orthopaedic Association Annual Meeting
from the oldest member in attendance!

Basil Grogono, FRCS, FRCSC, FACS
Halifax, NS

I have the pleasure of sharing with you a collage of the wonderful recent COA Annual Meeting in Halifax. I think it may convey some of the impressions and feelings I encountered whilst I was enjoying the show. This was indeed a magnificent event - well staged and organized in the true traditions of the COA. It was difficult for me to select the sessions I wished to attend from the plethora of scientific presentation and workshops that filled each day, but I managed to arise each morning for the 7:00am Instructional Course Lectures.

COA Annual Meeting 1960 - Winnipeg, MB
The first COA Annual Meeting I attended was in 1960. It was held in Winnipeg where Professor Tucker was the head of our orthopaedic training programme. This meeting proceeded to Manaki Lodge in Lake of the Woods and was enlivened by presentations by Professor D'Aubigne from France. Techniques and orthopaedic philosophies have changed dramatically in the 46 years that have intervened. Just think: Professor John Charnley was beginning to experiment with low friction arthoplasty procedures of the hip. Dr. Watanabe was performing arthroscopy in Japan and Bob Jackson had not yet brought the news to the world. Professor Mueller and his colleagues had not yet delivered the AO system to Canada. Professor Kuntschner had invented his intramedullary nails and had used them extensively in Europe but closed intramedullary nailing of fractures was not yet in vogue.

What the Era Was Like

• Polio had struck Canada in 1952 but inoculation had prevented further cases.
• Bone Tuberculosis was common but antibiotics had begun to tame the disease.
• Fractured femora were treated with bed rest and traction for 12 weeks.
• Fractured tibiae were treated with casts.
• There were no MRIs or CAT scans or computers!
• Sir Reginald Watson Jones was the idol of many. His book, Fractures and Joint Injuries, was almost a Bible for orthopaedic trauma surgeons.
• Our National Universal Health Service had not yet been inaugurated.

Thoughts of the 2007 Annual Meeting in Halifax

Opening Ceremonies
A convivial cocktail and poster session allied to bag pipes set the stage for the meeting. I particularly enjoyed Joe Hyndman's masterfully historical introductory address. I was all set to attend the scientific sessions and workshops!

Scientific Sessions
I listened with awe as our orthopaedic surgeons and residents read papers on the results of total hip and knee joint replacements; revisions operations, new techniques of bone plating and intramedullary nailing, advances in Scoliosis surgery. I heard discussions on the merits of limited access surgery and learned new ways to treat disorders of the spine.

Operations such as joint replacement for ankle arthritis and intervertabral disc replacement, previously considered anathema to me, were actively promoted for research and future use!

Many concurrent sessions left me with an uncomfortable feeling that I could be missing out on something good. I did catch a paper in which open reduction of complex fractures of the clavicle was advocated. This paper was useful two weeks later when i was asked to advise on the treatment of such a fracture. "Consult the experts," I said, "the fashions have changed!"

The Exhibits
Orthopaedics is now commercially driven. The huge display of exhibits brought the wide range of modern orthopaedic industry into perspective. The exhibitors, the orthopaedic representatives, were all knowledgeable enthusiasts keen to demonstrate their products and new techniques.

Their cooperative skills are combined with the introduction of new ideas and balanced expansion of orthopaedics in the future.

Special Events
I marveled at the contributions of Dr. Brendan D. Lewis, Past President, as he passed his title on to Dr. Marc Moreau and admired the contributions of Dr Brian Day, President-Elect of the Canadian Medical Association, as he battles with the politics of our profession. Most of all, I was moved as Dr. Scott Taylor of the Canadian Armed Forces described in detail the terrible war injuries he encountered in Afghanistan as well as the gross inhumanity of the insurgents in that conflict. Military doctors are carrying out skilled care of the casualties despite the dangerous and challenging conditions.

Social Gatherings
Sonia and I enjoyed meeting old friends and the warm welcoming atmosphere that this large meeting engendered!

Happy Finale
Our conference was not all work and no play!

We all joined together in joyous celebration at the Lobster Fest in Pier 23 - the site of many, many war time memories. Those lobsters were an orthopaedist's challenge and delight!

Acknowledgements
Thank you, Joe and Bill and all your staff, for all that agonizing preparatory work. Thank you, Brendan, for your successful year and its happy culmination. Best of luck to our new (bon chance) President, Dr Marc Moreau as you endeavour to keep orthopaedics afloat in a sea of long waiting lists and potential political contests to test your skill.