Chandigarh: The three day, 7th Annual Conference of the Indian Association of Surgeons for Sleep Apnea ( IASSA ), IASSACON 2019 was inaugurated by the Institute Director and noted Ophthalmic Surgeon Padmashri Dr Jagat Ram at Bharghava Auditorium, PGIMER on 29-03-2019. The director spoke on the need for increased awareness about the condition of Sleep apnea which continues to be a silent epidemic.
The conference, which is being attended by more than 250 delegates from around the country, has some of the biggest names in the field of Sleep Apnea as the speakers. Surgeons and sleep specialists from Germany, Singapore, Taiwan, Bangladesh and Sri Lanka were present. Prof Naresh Panda, Head of the Department, Department of ENT and Organizing Chairman of the conference delivered the Welcome address. Prof Jaimanti Bakshi, Professor and Unit Head, Department of ENT graced the occasion. Dr. Vidyasagar R, President and Dr. P. Vijaya Krishnan, Secretary of the Indian Association of Surgeons for Sleep Apnea also addressed the gathering. Dr. Sandeep Bansal, Organizing Secretary of IASSACON proposed the vote of thanks. The first edition of e-newsletter of Indian Association of Surgeons for Sleep Apnea was also released in the function.
The inaugural ceremony also marked the end of the day one of the conference, packed with talks on the various aspects of Sleep Apnea. The day also had the expert surgeons demonstrating some of the advanced surgical options available for snoring and sleep apnea. Live surgeries demonstrated by eminent national faculty included Tonsillectomy, Adenoidectomy and various palatal advancement surgeries used in patients with sleep apnea. The experts also deliberated on various methods of tongue base reduction including Trans Oral Robotic Surgery. The institute is offering Trans Oral Robotic Surgery services since July 2016. The conference and the related activities are also aimed at bringing into the attention of both the Medical fraternity and the general public, such sleep and related services available at PGI.
The second day had ENT trainees present their research papers. The day also had orations by Dr. Clemens Heiser from Germany and Dr. Philip Hsin Lin from Taiwan. Dr. Heiser delivered the Prof. Mohan Kameswaran Oration on the topic of “ Neurostimulation as the future of Obstructive Sleep Apnea treatments”. Dr. Lin talked on “ OSA Surgery : Beyond AHI” as part of Dr. Vikas Agrawal Oration. The day also had talks by doctors on topics ranging from how to diagnose, assess the severity, the causes, prevention and even the role of diet in causing the condition. There were also panel discussions on patient selection and on ways of improving the surgical outcomes. The General Body Meeting of the association was also held.
The conference was preceded by the Annual Prof Y. N. Mehra Oration on the 28 th of March. The oration was delivered by Dr. Toh Song Tar from Singapore General Hospital on the topic “Surgery of Sleep Apnea. How far have we reached?” He elucidated on the history of medical and surgical management of sleep apnea.
