The Australian & New Zealand College of Anaesthetists Annual Scientific Meeting, which was held in May 2009 in Cairns Australia, covered topics such as anaesthesia, intensive care, pain management and the critical role anaesthetists play as a central component of modern medicine. The Scientific Meeting hosted 165 sessions over the 4 days of the conference with 82 trade exhibitors in attendance. Alongside the excellent lecture series were a large number of very successful workshops.

Skills learnt by a lucky few included mastering crocodilian anaesthesia and milking a stone fish. A Tropical Party for the Gala Event was held on the Cairns Esplanade where entertainment, food, fun and dancing intoo the wee hours was enjoyed by all. Dr Sean McManus, Convenor, said “The meeting had over 1.650 registrations and has been widely acclaimed as the best ever ASM, and likely to set the benchmark standard for annual meetings for years to come.”