SATURDAY, MAY 24, 2025
11:00 am – 11:20 am

Pearls for Optimizing Cirrhotic for Surgery

Session Learning Objectives:

• Identify key perioperative risks in patients with cirrhosis, including bleeding, infection, and hepatic decompensation.
• Explain at least three validated preoperative risk assessment tools for cirrhotic patients, including MELD, the Mayo Risk Score, and the VOCAL-Penn Surgical Risk Score.
• Summarize essential intraoperative and postoperative management strategies, including anesthesia considerations and fluid management principles.
• Apply a structured approach to perioperative decision-making when managing cirrhotic patients in your clinical practice.

Speaker:

Dr. David Hudson, MD, MEng, MHQS, FRCPC, DRCPC

Dr. David Hudson is a transplant hepatologist at Western University in London, Ontario. He completed both his Gastroenterology and Transplant Hepatology fellowships at Western, where he developed a strong clinical and academic foundation. Dr. Hudson recently earned a Master’s degree in Patient Safety and Quality Improvement from Harvard University, further enhancing his commitment to delivering high-value, quality care. His background in engineering, including a Master of Engineering in Biochemical/Biomedical Engineering, provides him with a unique perspective on system-level problem-solving and innovation in healthcare delivery. Dr. Hudson integrates his multidisciplinary expertise to focus on optimizing patient outcomes, operational efficiency, and healthcare quality. He is particularly interested in developing quality improvement initiatives that align clinical excellence with resource stewardship. Through his combined clinical practice and academic pursuits, Dr. Hudson is dedicated to advancing the fields of hepatology and transplant medicine while contributing to broader efforts to improve healthcare systems.