Pre-Congress Workshops

6 May 2027 (Thursday)

Venue Meeting Room 4-5, Borneo Convention Centre, Kuching, Sarawak
Date 6 May 2027, Thursday
Time 08:30- 17:00
Capacity 30 pax
Course Description This introductory workshop is designed for anaesthesiologists, intensivists, neurosurgeons, neurologists, perioperative clinicians and trainees in navigating the challenges of acute neurocritical care, where timely and accurate assessment of intracranial pressure (ICP) is paramount. As gold-standard invasive monitoring is not always feasible or immediately available, non-invasive modalities have revolutionized bedside assessments and clinical decisions.

Led by international experts, this workshop delivers a deep dive into three cornerstone technologies: Transcranial Doppler (TCD) Ultrasonography, Optic Nerve Sheath Diameter (ONSD) measurements and Automated Pupillometry. Ultimately, participants will master both technical data acquisition and the ability to integrate these findings into a cohesive, actionable clinical management algorithm.
Objectives By the conclusion of this workshop, participants should be able to:

  1. Master the basics of TCD: Understand the principles of cerebral haemodynamics, obtain waveforms of the major cerebral arteries and calculate pulsatility indices to estimate ICP trends.
  2. Measure ONSD accurately: Utilize point-of-care ultrasound (POCUS) to accurately measure the ONSD as a surrogate marker for elevated ICP and avoid common pitfalls.
  3. Interpret automated pupillometry: Leverage quantitative pupillary data (including Neurological Pupil Index, NPi) to detect early, subtle changes in neurological status before clinical deterioration occurs.
  4. Implement the management algorithm: Synthesize multi-modal non-invasive data into a standardized clinical workflow for immediate bedside decision-making.
Target Participants
  • Anaesthesiologists/ Neuroanaesthesiologists
  • Intensivists
  • Neurosurgeons
  • Physicians/ Neurologists
  • Medical officers and postgraduate trainees in anaesthesiology, neurosurgery and internal medicine
Course Director and Faculty Cheah Saw Kian (Malaysia)
Faculty Adi Osman (Malaysia)

Deepak Sharma (United States)

Hemanshu Prabhakar (India)

Lara Prisco (United Kingdom)

Llewellyn C. Padayachy (South Africa)
Registration This workshop is available as an add-on to the Main Congress. Click here to view prices and register.
Programme
Time Agenda Speaker
07:30 – 08:25 Registration

08:25 – 08:30 Welcome Address and Course Introduction Cheah Saw Kian
08:30 – 09:15 Transcranial Doppler (TCD) Ultrasonography Adi Osman
09:15 – 10:00 Clinical Cases (TCD) Deepak Sharma
10:00 – 10:30 Coffee

10:30 – 11:00 Optic Nerve Sheath Diameter (ONSD) Measurements Llewellyn C. Padayachy
11:00 – 11:30 Automated Pupillometry Lara Prisco
11:30 – 13:00 Hands-on Session

– TCD

– ONSD Measurements

– Automated Pupillometry

13:00 – 14:00 Lunch

14:00 – 15:30 Hands-on Session (continued)

15:30 – 16:00 Coffee

16:00 – 16:30 Non-invasive ICP Monitoring and Management Algorithm- Applications in Resource Constraint Settings Hemanshu Prabhakar
16:30 – 17:00 Open Discussion

17:00 Adjourn

Venue Meeting Room 2-3, Borneo Convention Centre, Kuching, Sarawak
Date 6 May 2027, Thursday
Time 08:30- 17:00
Capacity 50 pax
Course Description This introductory workshop is designed for anaesthesiologists, intensivists, neuroanaesthesiologists, trainees and perioperative clinicians seeking a practical foundation in frontal electroencephalographic (EEG) interpretation during anaesthesia and critical care. 

The course combines the mechanistic neurophysiology emphasis of the Society of Neuroscience in Anesthesiology and Critical Care (SNACC) EEG Certification curriculum with the clinically pragmatic and case-based style of the Safe Brain Initiative EEG Bootcamp.

Participants will develop a conceptual framework for understanding anaesthetic-induced unconsciousness, learn the fundamentals of EEG signal generation and spectral analysis, recognize common anaesthetic EEG signatures and identify clinically relevant abnormalities including burst suppression, artifact, nociceptive responses, asymmetry and pathologic patterns. Emphasis will be placed on practical bedside interpretation, perioperative brain health, aging and EEG-guided anaesthetic decision-making.

The workshop will use interactive polling, live waveform interpretation, spectrogram review and clinical vignettes throughout the day.
Learning Outcome By the conclusion of this workshop, participants should be able to:

  1. Explain the neurophysiologic basis of anaesthetic-induced unconsciousness.
  2. Interpret common frontal EEG waveforms and spectrogram patterns.
  3. Recognize EEG signatures associated with induction, maintenance, emergence and nociception.
  4. Differentiate physiologic EEG signals from artifact
  5. Identify age-related and pathologic EEG changes.
  6. Apply EEG interpretation to perioperative anaesthetic decision-making.
Target Participants
  • Anaesthesiologists/ Neuroanaesthesiologists
  • Intensivists
  • Medical officers and postgraduate trainees in anaesthesiology
  • Perioperative physicians interested in EEG-guided care
Course Director and Faculty Paul S. Garcia (United States)
Faculty Eunah Cho (Republic of Korea)

Matthias Kreuzer (Germany)

Odmara Barreto Chang (United States)

Samuel Tsan (Malaysia)

Sanket Agrawal (Canada)

Sebastian Zinn (United States)
Registration This workshop is available as an add-on to the Main Congress. Click here to view prices and register.
Programme

Time

Agenda

Speaker

07:30 – 08:30

Registration

08:30 – 09:00

Welcome Address and Course Introduction

  • Why perioperative EEG matters
  • Overview of course structure
  • Introduction to perioperative brain health

Samuel Tsan

09:00 – 10:00

Foundations of Consciousness and Thalamocortical Oscillations

  • Neurophysiology of unconsciousness
  • Thalamocortical oscillations
  • UP/DOWN states
  • Network connectivity and emergence
  • EEG signatures of brain state transitions

Paul S. García

10:00 – 10:30

Coffee

10:30 – 11:30

EEG Fundamentals: Signal Generation, Spectral Analysis and Practical Setup

  • Origins of EEG signals
  • Electrode placement and impedance
  • Spectrogram interpretation
  • Frequency bands and spectral edge
  • Entropy and processed EEG limitations
  • Live practical demonstration

Matthias Kreuzer

11:30 – 12:30

EEG During Induction, Maintenance and Emergence

  • Common anaesthetic EEG phenotypes
  • Alpha oscillations and slow-wave anaesthesia
  • Emergence trajectories
  • Burst suppression
  • EEG variability across anaesthetic agents

Sebastian Zinn

12:30 – 13:00

Interactive Quiz Session I: "What Does This EEG Mean?"

Case-based interpretation using polling software:

  • Propofol
  • Volatile anaesthesia
  • Dexmedetomidine
  • Artifact recognition
  • Emergence EEG

All faculty led by Sanket Agrawal

13:00 – 14:00

Lunch

14:00 – 14:45

Nociception, Aging and Pathophysiology on EEG

  • EEG responses to nociception
  • Hypnotic–analgesic interactions
  • Elderly brain physiology
  • Cognitive vulnerability
  • Delirium-associated EEG patterns
  • Clinical implications for perioperative brain health

Paul S. García

14:45 – 15:30

Artifact, Asymmetry, Seizures and Special Situations

  • Electrocautery artifact
  • EMG contamination
  • Poor signal quality
  • Seizure patterns
  • Asymmetry and ischaemia
  • Troubleshooting difficult recordings

Odmara Barreto Chang

15:30 – 15:45

Coffee

15:45 – 16:15

Interactive Quiz Session II: Clinical EEG Vignettes

Integrated perioperative cases:

  • Nociception vs light anaesthesia
  • Burst suppression management
  • Delirium-risk phenotypes
  • Ischaemia and asymmetry
  • Drug-related EEG changes

All faculty led by Eunah Cho

16:15 17:00

Panel Discussion and Audience Q&A

  • Clinical dilemmas in EEG interpretation
  • Future directions in EEG-guided anaesthesia
  • Precision anaesthesiology and perioperative brain health
  • Open discussion

All faculty

17:00

Adjourn

Venue Operating Theatre, Sarawak General Hospital, Kuching, Sarawak
Date 6 May 2027, Thursday
Time 16:45 – 17:00
Capacity 25 pax
Course Description Total intravenous anaesthesia (TIVA) has a number of increasingly obvious advantages over inhalation techniques. Traditional anaesthesia teaching, however, is skewed towards inhalation such that most practitioners are more comfortable with this technique. TIVA is, incorrectly we believe, perceived as being complicated, difficult and riskier. Even those using the technique may not be doing so correctly. Much TIVA teaching is heavily weighted towards detailed exposition of complicated drug modelling and theoretical concepts. While some understanding of these concepts is desirable, such emphasis on the minutia complete mastery of such details is not a prerequisite to the practice of this anaesthetic technique. This situation, along with some historical psychological and social factors has inadvertently created a "behavioural" barrier for the anaesthesia practitioner in trying and learning this technique. Alongside this, a certain degree of maturity has come into the development, user friendliness, affordability and availability and of both the drugs and equipment necessary to deliver TIVA, as well as brain function monitoring devices to allay certain anxieties. The workshop aims to dispel myths and misunderstandings and to bridge the gap in translating theoretical knowledge into everyday practice.
Learning Outcome By the conclusion of this workshop, participants should be able to:

1. Define TIVA and target-controlled infusion (TCI).

2. Discuss the advantages and limitations of using depth of anaesthesia monitoring in TIVA. How to interpret an EEG.

3. Define clinical endpoints for hypnosis and analgesia when using TIVA.

4. Explain the concept of pharmacokinetic modelling and why it is used in TCI systems.

5. Outline what "compartments" are in terms of pharmacokinetics.

6. Define the concept of time to peak effect.

7. Discuss the clinical relevance of plasma versus effect site targeting.

8. Outline the major clinical differences between Marsh, Schnider and Eleveld models.

9. Understand the interaction between propofol and remifentanil and how to use them together.

10. Safely set up a TCI delivery system.

11. Describe the safety features to look for when purchasing a new or using an unfamiliar syringe pump.

12. Troubleshoot common problems with pump alarms.

13. Understand the common pitfalls/ problems that can occur in the delivery of TIVA.
Target Participants Novices to occasional TIVA practitioners (less than 20% of cases are TIVA based)
Course Director and Faculty Michael G. Irwin (China, Hong Kong)
Faculty

Bintang Pramodana (Indonesia)

Imaan Abdul Rahim (Malaysia)

Teo Shu Ching (Malaysia)

Timothy G. Short (New Zealand)

Vivian Yuen (China, Hong Kong)
Registration This workshop is available as an add-on to the Main Congress. Click here to view prices and register.
Programme

Time

Agenda

Speaker

07:30 – 08:20

Registration

08:20 – 08:30

Welcome Address and Course Introduction

Michael G. Irwin

08:30 – 08:50

Lecture 1: PK, PD and the Eleveld Model

Michael G. Irwin

08:50 – 09:10

Lecture 2: Paediatric TIVA

Vivian Yuen

09:10 – 09:35

Lecture 3: TIVA in Special Circumstances

Bintang Pramodana

09:35 – 10:00

Lecture 4: Monitoring the Depth of Anaesthesia

Timothy G. Short

10:00 – 10:30

Coffee

10:30 – 13:00

Demo Sessions

All Faculty

13:00 – 14:00

Lunch

14:00 – 15:30

Skill Stations

1. Safety and practicalities of TIVA

2. EEG and pEEG/ BIS monitoring

3. TIVA adjuncts and smooth recovery

4. TIVA in special circumstances

All Faculty

15:30 – 15:45

Coffee

15:45 – 16:45

Skill Stations (Continued)

All Faculty

16:15 – 17:00

Closing

17:00

Adjourn