minds. Well, not entirely. But they

are hoping to generate strong reactions

from the audience when they present their

topics for the Technical Iconoclast (TI)

session during AAMI’s Annual Conference

& Expo in Washington, D.C., on June 24-

26.

     During the popular TI session, which

has been a regular part of AAMI’s Annual

Conference for nearly 15 years, each

panelist delivers a one-sided, five-minute

presentation, usually on a controversial

topic, followed by a five-minute questionand-

answer period. Before each

presentation, the moderator reads the

speaker’s thesis statement, then asks the

audience for a show of hands if they agree.

A second poll is taken after the presentation

and question period to see whether any minds were

changed. Order is maintained throughout the session

with a squeaky duck toy, duck call, and electronic singing

canary.

Four speakers will present their uncommon ideas

during this year’s Technical Iconoclast-Controversy

& Conversation session on Monday, June 26, during

AAMI’s Annual Conference & Expo in Washington,

D.C. The topics include:

• “Stop all ‘box & ship’ donations of medical

equipment to developing countries” by Jennifer

McGill

• “All systems are plug-and-play; it’s just IT that’s the

problem” by Barbara Majchrowski

• “Sales reps should be allowed in the OR” by Erin

Sparnon

• “All devices ought to be MR-safe” by Linda Chan

The session will take place 2:30 p.m. - 3:45 p.m. on

Monday, June 26.

engineering department first. “They believe strongly

that sales reps should take a back seat,” she notes. Device

manufacturers will likely also be part of Sparnon’s

audience, helping to fuel debate on this issue.

     Although Sparnon can’t put a percentage on how

often sales reps are in the OR, she says it’s very

common in areas where the technology changes rapidly,

such as with bone implants, pacemakers, or vascular

stents. Although the manufacturer’s rep is there

to help the surgeon use the

device correctly, the question is always, “How much

training does this sales rep have?”

     During another presentation, Jennifer McGill—a

senior project engineer at ECRI—will tell the audience

that all “box & ship” donations of medical equipment to

developing countries should be stopped. If the audience

is not familiar with international donations, she says,

“they may say I’m crazy.”

     Having worked in hospitals in Africa and in parts of