The Great VL Debate: Training, Awake Intubation, Blade Selection, and the Challenge of Blood & Secretions
Saturday, October 17 | 12-1:00 p.m. PDT
Convention Center, Room 4
Symposium Description: This interactive debate session will examine the differing views surrounding the expanding role of video laryngoscopy (VL) and whether its widespread adoption should reshape modern airway management. Expert faculty will debate key questions related to VL in education, awake intubation, blade selection, and airway management in the presence of blood and secretions. Lunch will be served.
Panelists:
Basem Abdelmalak, MD, FASA, SAMBA-F
Cleveland Clinic
Basem Abdelmalak, MD, FASA, SAMBA-F is a Professor of Anesthesiology at the Cleveland Clinic Lerner College of Medicine and Director of the Center for Procedural Sedation at Cleveland Clinic. With over two decades of clinical, academic, and leadership experience, he has authored numerous peer-reviewed publications, and two airway management textbooks, served as the chair or a member on many national guidelines task forces, and as the president of the Society for Ambulatory Anesthesia and the Society for Head and Neck Anesthesia.
Sabry Ayad,
MD, MBA, FASA
Cleveland Clinic
Sabry Ayad, MD, MBA, FASA is Vice Chief of Staff and Professor of Anesthesiology at the Cleveland Clinic Lerner College of Medicine of Case Western Reserve University. An internationally recognized authority in perioperative outcomes and anesthetic pharmacology, he has authored numerous peer-reviewed publications and served as a lead author of the fourth and fifth consensus guidelines for the management of postoperative nausea and vomiting. His distinguished clinical and academic contributions have earned numerous honors, including being named the Fairview Hospital Cleveland Clinic Physician of the Year in 2016, recognition as a Safety Champion by the Cleveland Clinic Quality Institute, and participation as a recipient on multiple National Institutes of Health-funded projects.
Caoimhe Duffy,
MD, MSc, FCAI
Penn Medicine
Caoimhe Duffy, MD, MSc, FCAI, is an Assistant Professor of Anesthesiology and Critical Care at the University of Pennsylvania and Director of the Perioperative Care Unit at the Hospital of the University of Pennsylvania. She is an internationally recognized expert in airway management, patient safety, human factors, and perioperative quality improvement, with extensive experience in simulation-based education and multidisciplinary team training. Dr. Duffy has authored numerous peer-reviewed publications and lectures globally on airway management, patient safety, virtual reality education, and healthcare systems improvement, earning recognition including the International Airway Management Society Distinguished Research Award.
Daniel Katz, MD
Mount Sinai Hospital, NYC
Daniel Katz, MD is Professor of Anesthesiology, Obstetrics, Gynecology & Reproductive Sciences, and Artificial Intelligence and Human Health at the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, where he also serves as Vice Chair of Research & Faculty Development for the Department of Anesthesiology. His internationally recognized work spans obstetric anesthesiology, patient blood management, simulation-based education, virtual reality, and medical technology innovation, with more than 80 peer-reviewed publications and numerous national teaching and research awards. Dr. Katz is a dedicated educator and leader who has held prominent roles within organizations including SOAP, ASA, and the Society for Simulation in Healthcare, advancing patient safety, clinician education, and obstetric care worldwide.
Moderator:
Paul Mountford, PhD
Medtronic
©2026 Medtronic. All rights reserved. Medtronic, Medtronic logo and engineering the extraordinary are trademarks of Medtronic. ™* Third-party brands are trademarks of their respective owners. All other brands are trademarks of a Medtronic company. US-PM-2600424.
Operational Headquarters 710 Medtronic Parkway, Minneapolis, MN 55432-5640 USA
©2026 Medtronic