Chandigarh/ 7th PGI GI Emergency Confrence Concluded Successfully

Chandigarh : The academic fiesta conducted by the Department of Gastroenterology at PGI Chandigarh concluded on 2nd October 2023. The session comprised of approach to cases of cholangitis which is a complication of bile duct stone and cancer. This causes fever and jaundice due to obstruction of the bile duct which comes out of the gallbladder. Dr Sundeep Lakhtakia consultant gastroenterologist at AIG Hyderabad elucidated the importance of clinical assessment and early intervention including placement of stent in such patients for better patient outcomes.

The second session was dedicated to the management of inflammatory bowel disease which is an increasing cause for concern in our country. The number of patients with IBD is increasing due to a changing lifestyle, food habits. Acute severe ulcerative colitis, a life- threatening medical emergency, was discussed at length by Dr Vineet Ahuja Professor Dept of Gastroenterology AIIMS New Delhi and a team of eminent panelists comprising Dr Atul Sood, Dr Varun Mehta, Dr Vishal Sharma from PGI Chandigarh. The panelists focused on the new drugs that have become available for treatment of IBD in India. Apart from this a session on emerging therapeutics in the form of small molecules in the management of IBD flare was discussed by Dr Saurabh Kedia.

An important session of the day was the management of endoscopic nightmares which was chaired by Professor Rakesh Kochhar and Dr Chalapathi Rao. Dr DN Reddy from of Asian Institute of Gastroenterology, Hyderabad, delivered his talk and emphasized safe endoscopy practices and how to manage complications when they do occur. Prof DN Reddy also spoke on mastering endoscopy in which he shared tricks of the trade and also emphasized on perseverance as the key for success. He emphasized the need for structured training in endoscopy through a fellowship program after the initial training in gastroenterology. There were further topics on the practical aspects of gastroenterology like how to set up clinical practice delivered by Dr Mahesh Goenka, from Kolkata. The academic event was brought to life by the Postgraduate quiz which enthralled the crowd and was an appropriate terminal event for the academic event.