AARC Congress 2013 Gazette for Monday, November 18
Donald F. Egan Memorial Lecture
In Sunday’s 40th Donald F Egan Scientific Memorial Lecture on “The Current State of Lung Protective Ventilation: What Should Clinicians Be Doing?” Rolf D Hubmayr MD provided data supporting the following:
- Irrespective of the chosen ventilation mode, the resulting tidal volume is the most important determinant of ventilation-associated lung trauma.
- Ideally, tidal volume ought to be scaled to the size of the recruitable lung.
- Body habitus and posture should influence one’s choice of positive end expiratory pressure and one’s tolerance for allowing plateau airway pressure limits to exceed 30 cm H2O.
- PEEP titration should be guided by mechanics as opposed to oxygenation endpoints.
- Double triggering or breathing with increased, albeit sustainable, effort should be avoided.
- Patient/ventilator asynchrony in a patient who is managed with permissive hypercapnia typically requires the administration of neuromuscular blockers rather than sedatives alone.
- Ventilators are pulmonary function testing instruments and should be used as such.
- The adoption of the upright or prone posture should be considered in selected patients.
- Respiratory therapists should take an interest in the sedation practice just as much as nurses need to take an interest in ventilator management.
Dr. Hubmayr is a professor of medicine and physiology at the Mayo Clinic in Rochester, MN.
AARC President Addresses Annual Business Meeting
AARC President George Gaebler MSEd RRT FAARC took the podium at Sunday’s annual business meeting to bring the leadership up to date on his plans for the final year of his presidency in 2014.
According to Gaebler, the AARC is working to promote patient access to the respiratory therapist across the continuum of care. “For the future I see disease management, respiratory protocols, discharge planning…. I expect an explosion of opportunities,” he said.
He also noted that plans are in the works to bring the Association’s Clinical Practice Guidelines in line with an evidence-based approach. “Our CPGs are getting a major overhaul,” he said. “You’re going to have great CPGs!”
Gaebler ended his talk by sharing his vision for the future of our profession. “The next 3–5 years will be the most challenging in history. Expect large changes,” he said. “My challenge to you is mentor people. I think the sky’s the limit for RTs. It’s our time to shine.”
A truly international affair
The AARC Congress lived up to the “international” in its name this week in Anaheim, as we attended lectures and heard Open Forum presentations made by our colleagues from abroad.
The following international colleagues presented during the regular sessions. Lluis Bland, from Spain, talked about noninvasive monitoring and the physiology of ventilation. Our colleagues from Portugal, Anna Caroline Braga MSc PT, Joao Preira Msc, and Anabela Cardoso Pinto MD PhD offered up a neurorespiratory disease management symposium. Canadian colleagues Rita Troini MA RRT and Veronique Adam RRT looked at best practices in the home. Norwegian clinicians Solfrid Indrekvam MD PhD, Ove Fondenes MD, Siguard Aarrestad MD, and Heidi Markussen MHSc RN conducted a symposium outlining their experiences with noninvasive ventilation in their country. Tom Piraino RRT, from Canada, spoke on the use of bladder pressure to set optimal PEEP.
International colleagues presenting in the Open Forums included: Huiqing Ge MSc RRT, China; Hsin-Chun Liu RRT, Taiwan; Xiaoke Chen, China; Nimrod Adi MD, Israel; Miri Suh MD, Republic of Korea; Hilda Perry PT, Canada; Shu Wah Ng MSc RN, Hong Kong; Hui-Ling Lin MSc RRT RN FAARC, Taiwan; Ibrahim A Albalawi BSRT RRT, Saudi Arabia; Li-Ting Kao RRT, Taiwan; Chin-Ming Chen MD, Taiwan; Sanjay Sasikumar MSc, India; Heera Lal Mahto MScRT, India; Pui Fan Chan RN, Hong Kong; Noel S Tiburcio PhD RRT-NPS RMT, United Arab Emirates; Vera Baturova, Russia; Shu Wah Ng MSc RN, Hong Kong; Rachell Ann Cruz Siute MD, Philippines; Kathy Murphy PhD MSc RN, Ireland; Pavanasam Ramesh MD FRCPCH, United Kingdom; Baskaran Chandrasekaran MSc, India; Donghyun Kim PhD, Republic of Korea; and Yusuke Chikata RRT MSc, Japan.
The AARC thanks all of its international participants and is looking forward to honoring them during this evening’s AARC/ARCF International Reception. Special recognition will go to our 2013 international fellows (Ana Cristina Okada PT, Brazil; Lysbeth Roldán RT, Columbia; Daisuke Tsukahara MSN RN, Japan; Mohamad El-Khatib PhD MD FAARC, Lebanon; and Mohammed Herrag MD PhD, Morocco); the winners of this year’s Garza Award and Koga Medal; and our international fellowship sponsors and city hosts.
We’d also like to recognize the sponsors of our International Fellowship Program: Draeger Medical Inc., Philips Respironics, AARC, Applied Measurement Professionals, Inc., and Aspirant Education Inc.
Weber State University To Go Home with a New Ventilator
The respiratory therapy program at Weber State University is the proud owner of a brand new ventilator, thanks to their participation in this year’s Vent 5K contest sponsored by the ARCF. The ventilator was generously donated by Breathe Technologies Inc.
If you’d like to get in the running for a new piece of RT equipment, grab some colleagues and host a Vent 5K of your own in 2014. Go to www.ARCFoundation.org/support/vent_5k to find out how.
AARC welcomes 2014 Corporate Partners
Our Corporate Partners for 2014 are: CareFusion, Masimo Corporation, Covidien, Monaghan Medical Corporation, Philips Respironics, Draeger Medical Inc., Maquet Inc., Teleflex Medical, Boehringer Ingelheim Pharmaceuticals Inc., Forest Laboratories Inc., Ikaria, and Sunovion Pharmaceuticals Inc.
If you are in Anaheim today, drop by their booths as you visit the AARC Exhibit Hall to express your appreciation for their support of the respiratory care profession.
All of these companies comprise best-in-class organizations interested in supporting the goals and work of the Association. The program provides respiratory care providers with information, insights, and innovative approaches to improve performance and advance the health of their patients.
Sherry Compton Wins DRIVE4COPD Contest
Sherry Compton MBA RRT AE-C won the drawing for VIP tickets for two to the Daytona 500 in February 2014 in the DRIVE4COPD drawing that took place during the Annual Business Meeting on Sunday. The drawing was conducted among all AARC members who participated in a DRIVE event this year. Lawson Millner RRT-ACCS and Terry Gilmore MA RRT-NPS were selected to receive free registration to the AARC’s COPD Educator Course.