Welcome to the December 2017 Edition of the Cutting Edge!

I would like to start by thanking Dr. Como for his service as the previous editor of the Cutting Edge newsletter. I hope to continue his great work in providing AAST members with useful information about our society and colleagues.

In this edition, you will find:

• The “News” section highlights both professional and personal updates of AAST members. 

• In this issue’s “Coder’s Corner”, Dr. Lawrence Reed and Dr. Thomas Esposito give their coding recommendations in a case involving REBOA catheter.

• The “Happenings” section, headed by Dr. Chad Ball, keeps the reader aware of upcoming meetings, along with abstract deadlines.

• In the “Needle Tip”, Dr. Steven Moulton discusses the current management of pediatric hand burns.

We also provide several links to sites of interest, including a link to the next AAST Webcast, entitled “Danger Signaling: An Important New Principle in Trauma and Surgical Injury,” by Dr. Carl Hauser and moderated by Dr. Randeep Jawa.

I hope you enjoy your issue of the “Cutting Edge.”