55th International Respiratory Congress
Advance Program
Saturday, December 5
8:30 am – 10:55 am
Opening Session
Sam P Giordano
MBA RRT FAARC
AARC Executive Director/Presiding
8:30 am – 10:10 am
AARC Awards Ceremony
The ceremony recognizes the “doers” in the profession, from students to long established practitioners. Be there and applaud your peers. Today it’s them; tomorrow it may be you.
10:15 am – 10:55 am
Keynote Address
Forrest M Bird PhD ScD MD FAARC
Supported by an unrestricted educational grant from
8:00 am – 6:00 pm
32nd National Competition
Sputum Bowl® Preliminaries
Deborah J Hendrickson RRT Presiding
Teams from the AARC state affiliates compete in the preliminary competitions. The top four teams will advance to the Finals on Monday evening, Dec. 7, along with the Student Sputum Bowl finalists. The Sputum Bowl Preliminaries and Finals are supported by an unrestricted educational grant from Covidien.
11:00 am
Opening of Exhibit Hall
Timothy R Myers RRT-NPS/Presiding
AARC Presidents open the Exhibit Hall at the “Gold Standard” of all respiratory care meetings. The Congress presents all the manufacturers and suppliers in the industry. The Exhibit Hall offers attendees a chance to make purchases right on the spot, often at special discounts. Don’t miss this great opportunity! Exhibit Hours at The Buying Show: Saturday–Monday, 11:00 am – 4:00 pm.
11:05 am – 11:50 am
Orientation: Presenting an Open Forum® Abstract
Robert L. Chatburn, RRT FAARC, Cleveland OH Teresa A Volsko MHHS RRT FAARC, Youngstown OH
The purpose of this presentation is to introduce the neophyte research presenter to the customs, roles and experience of presenting in an Open Forum session. Included will be the stages of an Open Forum presentation; setting up the poster, interacting with the moderators and Open Forum attendees at the posters, presenting at the podium and participating in moderated audience discussion of the research. An audience response system will be used to engage the audience in critiquing the good and bad examples of each stage of the presentation.
11:05 am – 11:50 am
Orientation: for First-time Attendees
Conducted by the AARC Program Committee
This session is designed to present the best ways for you to maximize your time not only at the educational sessions, but also at the exhibits and peripheral activities.
12:30 pm - 2:25 pm
Respiratory Care Open Forum #1
Airways: The Right Stuff, The Right Way
Poster and oral presentations. Clinicians present the results of their scientific studies. Click Open Forum number for titles and authors presenting their findings.
12:30 pm - 2:25 pm
Respiratory Care Open Forum #2
Neonatal and Pediatric Care—Part 1
Poster and oral presentations. Clinicians present the results of their scientific studies. Click Open Forum number for titles and authors presenting their findings.
1:00 pm – 1:45 pm
New Modes of Ventilation in the Preterm Infant
Nelson Claure MSc PhD, Miami FL
Presentation and review of the new (or newer) ventilation modes available for the neonate including synchronized hybrid, volume-targeted, and experimental.
1:00 pm – 2:20 pm
Current Controversies in Pediatric Respiratory Care—Chapter 2
Ira M Cheifetz MD FAARC, Durham NC
Michael R Anderson MD, Cleveland OH
Ever wonder what the experts are saying about some of the more controversial aspects of respiratory care? The interactive debate between two experts in the field will provide contrasting views on clinically relevant topics affecting critically ill infants and children. How should PEEP be optimized? Is noninvasive indicated for all etiologies of respiratory failure? When should ECMO be utilized for pediatric patients with severe ARDS? These controversial topics and others will be discussed. The presentation will include an interactive discussion with the audience using an automated response system.
1:00 pm – 2:35 pm
Training with Technology
1:00 pm – 1:45 pm
Starting with Basics: Technology for an Objective-Driven Orientation and Training Process
Joel Brown II RRT, Newark DE
This in-service will familiarize the attendees with the concept of an objective-driven training process with Web-based resources. It will cover the development of departmental clinical objectives, the use of corresponding Web-based resources, and the implementation of Web-based methods of evaluating and reinforcing the information provided.
1:50 pm – 2:35 pm
From the Basics to the Future: Using Virtual Technology To Enhance Training
Joel Brown II RRT
This presentation will familiarize the attendees with the use of virtual technology and the positive effect it can have on the clinical confidence of respiratory therapists. It will identify the different types of virtual technology that are currently available and the funding required to acquire this technology, while offering guidance in the development of clinical scenarios that encompass departmental clinical objectives.
The AARC Program Committee is proud to announce a new addition to the Congress…
RC Solutions Showcase
In the Exhibit Hall during Exhibit Hours
This is a great opportunity for Congress attendees to hear formal, scheduled presentations by exhibitors on their new and innovative products and developments supported by data with relevant scientific implications.
1:00 pm – 2:55 pm
Noninvasive Ventilation Today
1:00 pm – 1:35 pm
What Ventilator Should We Use for NIV?
Robert M Kacmarek PhD RRT FAARC, Boston MA
What are the differences between NIV ventilators and critical care ventilators? Do NIV modes work on critical care ventilators? What are the differences in ventilator requirements for NIV in acute care and NIV in homecare?
1:40 pm – 2:15 pm
What Interfaces Should We Use for NIV?
Dean R Hess PhD RRT FAARC, Boston MA
Why is the interface the weak link in the use of NIV? What are the advantages and disadvantages of available interfaces for NIV? Are there differences between interfaces for acute care and homecare?
2:20 pm – 2:55 pm
Is My Department Using NIV on the Right Patients?
John D Davies MA RRT FAARC, Durham NC
What is the latest evidence for patient selection for NIV? What can the respiratory care department do to assure that NIV is used on the right patients? How can the department assure the competence of its staff to correctly apply NIV?
1:00 pm – 2:55 pm
Pulmonary Rehabilitation: Now It’s the Law
1:00 pm – 1:35 pm
Basic Components of a Pulmonary Rehabilitation Program
Gerilynn L Connors RRT FAACVPR, Falls Church VA
The components of a pulmonary rehabilitation program will be reviewed.
1:40 pm – 2:15 pm
The New Reimbursement Law: What Does It Mean?
Neil MacIntyre MD FAARC, Durham NC
Provides an overview of the history and components of the congressional law for pulmonary rehabilitation. It will also discuss the current status for CMS implementation for pulmonary rehabilitation coverage.
2:20 pm – 2:55 pm
Doing the Math: Will Pulmonary Rehabilitation Be Right for Your Hospital?
Gerilynn L Connors RRT FAACVPR
Provides a framework for determining if a pulmonary rehabilitation program would be appropriate for your acute care facility.
Conversation with RC Legends
Sunday, Dec 6 • 3:30 pm - 5:00 pm
Moderated by Patrick Dunne, this informal format will allow for a free interchange of why we are here and where we are going as a profession. A unique opportunity for you to hear and question these two giants in pulmonary care. Don’t miss it!
1:00 pm – 3:10 pm
Resource Management: Making the Best Out of What You Have
1:00 pm – 1:40 pm
The “WOW” Experience: Service Excellence
Stan Holland MSc RRT, Harrisonburg VA
By attending this lecture the participant will learn how to make a case for loyalty and compassion by using numerous tools that are available to any manager. The presenter will talk about such tools as word-of-mouth marketing, performance conversions, post-treatment test calls, reward and recognition, and many more.
1:45 pm – 2:25 pm
The ABCs of Productivity Management
Douglas S Laher MBA RRT, Cleveland OH
By attending this lecture you will learn about productivity management and its impact on department budgets. The presenter will define productivity and how various hospitals calculate it. Different RC data management systems will be discussed along with some “home grown” tools that can be utilized in both large and small hospitals to help determine staffing needs.
2:30 pm – 3:10 pm
Missed Treatments: The Hidden Solution
Stan Holland MSc RRT
Attendees will learn how missed treatments affect medication errors, productivity and patient safety. This presenter will describe how the AARC benchmarking tool can be used to control missed treatments. The speaker will also overview Six Sigma and how it can be utilized to help decrease or eliminate missed treatments.
1:00 pm – 4:10 pm
The Role of the Military Therapist in War
1:00 pm – 2:00 pm
Critical Care Air Transport: Wonder Warrior, Rapid Response
SMSgt Dario Rodriguez RRT, Cincinnati OH and
TSgt Matt Falat RRT, San Antonio TX
This presentation will inform the AARC Congress about the excellent job our medical professionals (including RTs) are doing under intense circumstances.
2:05 pm – 3:05 pm
Army Burn Flight Team: Anytime, Anywhere
This presentation will inform the Congress about the Brook Army Medical Center quick response burn team. It will address how our military takes care of our burned warriors at home, abroad, and in our war zones.
3:10 pm – 4:10 pm
The Importance of Medical Simulation Training Before Deploying to a War Zone
Scott Woodcox BSRC RCP, San Antonio TX
This presentation will inform the Congress about the importance of medical simulation training prior to going to a war zone.
RESPIRATORY CARE OPEN FORUM® Symposia
Clinicians present the results of their scientific studies. Abstracts with a similar focus are clustered into a symposium to encourage discussions and interactions among investigators and observers; posters expand the information presented. Sixteen Open Forum Symposia will be presented during the four days of Respiratory Care 2009. See the OPEN FORUM pages for symposium sessions, abstracts titles and authors.
1:00 pm – 3:25 pm
Bronchoprovocation—What Makes You Wheeze?
1:00 pm - 1:45 pm
Exercise Challenge Testing—Chest Tightness at the Finish Line
Gregg L Ruppel MEd RRT RPFT FAARC, St Louis MO
This lecture will identify exercise testing methodologies for eliciting exercise-induced bronchospasm. The presenter will discuss case scenarios that represent clinical presentation, interpretation and treatment.
1:50 pm - 2:35 pm
Inhalation Challenges—Are They the Gold Standard?
Carl D Mottram RRT RPFT FAARC, Rochester MN
This lecture will describe the mechanism of action of direct bronchoprovocation challenges with methacholine/histamine and indirect challenges with mannitol. The speaker will also discuss common methods of delivery and results interpretation in a case presentation format.
2:40 pm - 3:25 pm
Eucapnic Voluntary Hyperventilation—That’s a Lot of Air
Gregg L Ruppel MEd RRT RPFT FAARC
The Olympic Medical Commission has expressed the viewpoint that eucapnic voluntary hyperpnea is the optimal laboratory challenge to confirm exercise-induced bronchoconstriction in an athlete. This lecture will discuss the indications for testing as well as testing methods.
2:30 pm – 4:55 pm
ABCs of Pediatric Mechanical Ventilation
2:30 pm – 2:55 pm
Airway: Management of the Difficult Airway
Ellen S Deutsch MD, Wilmington DE
Do you know what you would do if faced with a difficult airway? Can you identify the potential difficult airway? The answers to these important clinical questions and others will be answered. Preparing for the difficult airway situation may save a life.
3:00 pm – 3:25 pm
Breathing: Conventional Ventilation—Does the Mode Matter?
Brian K Walsh MBA RRT-NPS FAARC, Boston MA
Clinicians often debate which mode would be more optimal for an individual patient. But does the mode really matter? Are there advantages to the newer modes of ventilation as compared to the more traditional approaches? This presentation will present the available literature in an attempt to resolve this clinical question.
3:30 pm – 3:55 pm
Circulation: Does the Ventilator Affect Hemodynamics?
Alexandre T Rotta MD, Indianapolis IN
As the ventilator is adjusted, what happens to the cardiovascular system? This presentation will review the interaction between the lungs and the heart. Cardiorespiratory interactions play a significant role in the physiology of a critically ill patient; however, these interactions are often underappreciated when ventilator parameters are adjusted.
4:00 pm – 4:25 pm
ECMO: Should a Pediatric ARDS Patient Die Without ECMO?
Natan Noviski MD, Boston MA
ECMO has been used for several decades for infants and children with cardiorespiratory failure. However, the ECMO criteria for children with severe ARDS remain variable and controversial. Should a pediatric patient die without a trial of ECMO? What about transplant patients? This presentation will review the available data and offer some opinions on this topic.
4:30 pm – 4:55 pm
Decisions: What To Do When Conventional Ventilation Is Failing?
Alexandre T Rotta MD
How is a failure of standard conventional ventilation defined? When should adjunct therapies and/or modalities beyond conventional ventilation be initiated? Are “non-conventional” ventilator modalities and strategies really non-conventional? This presentation will review ventilator approaches beyond standard conventional ventilation including: high-frequency ventilation, prone positioning, surfactant administration, and inhaled nitric oxide. The rationale for timing of these approaches will be reviewed.
2:45 pm – 5:00 pm
Student-Centered Seminar: Life After Graduation
2:45 pm – 3:15 pm
Becoming a Professional
Toni Rodriguez EdD RRT, Phoenix AZ
This presentation will provide an overview of the profession of respiratory care to include its evolution, role and value. Emphasis will be placed on the characteristics and traits of a professional and the critical importance of being involved and maintaining professional membership.
3:20 pm – 3:50 pm
Getting Credentialed
Bill Galvin MSEd RRT AE-C FAARC, Gwynedd Valley PA
The presentation will address the factors that make for success in the examination process. It will cover preparatory issues, what you will experience on site, as well as test-taking strategies and techniques.
3:55 pm – 4:25 pm
Getting the Job
Colleen L Schabacker BA RRT FAARC, Cookeville TN
This presentation will provide an overview of the job selection process to include the resume and the interview process. Emphasis will be placed on securing meaningful and satisfying employment.
4:30 pm – 5:00 pm
Continuing Your Education
Lynda T Goodfellow EdD RRT FAARC, Atlanta GA
This presentation will provide an overview of the continuing education needs and opportunities after completion of your RC education. Emphasis will be placed on lifelong learning and the need to continue to enhance formal education as well as professional education.
3:00 pm – 3:30 pm
Continuing Care/Rehab Section Membership Meeting
Debra M Koehl MS RRT-NPS AE-C Section Chair/Presiding
3:00 pm – 3:45 pm
Being and Acting Professionally
Cheryl Hoerr RRT CPFT MBA/HCM FAARC, Rolla MO
This lecture will define professionalism as applied to the respiratory therapist and share examples of some less than desirable dress and behavior that has been increasingly exhibited by members of our profession. We will discuss the responsibility therapists have to adhere to professional standards, what those standards are, and how professionalism improves both the quality and the safety of the care we provide to our patients.
3:00 pm – 4:45 pm
International Quality Assurance Standards for Pulmonary Function Testing—What We Need To Know & Why You Should Care
3:00 pm – 3:50 pm
Impact of Quality Assurance in Pulmonary Function Measurement on Patient Care – Meeting the Challenge of Each Continent
Paul L Enright MD, Tucson AZ
The need for international quality assurance in pulmonary function testing will be discussed. The call for the development and implementation of global standards for PFT will be explored. The presenter will describe the scope of clinical laboratory and PFT quality globally, comparing challenges and success in each area, and will discuss the expected quality based on current literature, standards and guidelines.
3:55 pm – 4:45 pm
Standards and Accreditation in the Pulmonary Function Laboratory—Is This the Road to Improvement?
Susan B Blonshine RRT RPFT AE-C FAARC, Mason MI
The state of the art for quality assurance for laboratories performing pulmonary function measurements in various countries will be reviewed. The possible development of a global accreditation system for PF labs will be discussed as well as lessons learned from implementation of accreditation programs in Australia and New Zealand over a decade ago. An overview of the current models and progress for world-wide accreditation of PF labs and the expected process will be presented.
3:00 pm - 4:55 pm
Respiratory Care Open Forum #3
Aerosols; Oxygen; Drugs and Medications—Part 1
Poster and oral presentations. Clinicians present the results of their scientific studies. Click Open Forum number for titles and authors presenting their findings.
3:00 pm - 4:55 pm
Respiratory Care Open Forum #4
Asthma; Home Care: We Do Care
Poster and oral presentations. Clinicians present the results of their scientific studies. Click Open Forum number for titles and authors presenting their findings.
3:30 pm – 4:20 pm
Tobacco Cessation for the Elderly: It’s Never Too Late
Helen M Sorenson MA RRT FAARC, San Antonio TX
This session will discuss the demographics of tobacco use after age 65 and how to implement a successful program in this group.
3:30 pm – 5:10 pm
Closed-Loop Control of Mechanical Ventilation
Supported by an unrestricted educational grant from
3:30 pm – 4:00 pm
Closed-Loop Control of Modes
Robert M Kacmarek PhD RRT FAARC, Boston MA
Many mechanical ventilators are equipped with modes that operate with a feedback mechanism. This presentation will describe the function and clinical application of these modes.
4:05 pm – 4:35 pm
Closed-Loop Control of FiO2 in Adults
Richard D Branson MS RRT FAARC, Cincinnati OH
Limiting the amount of FiO2 may provide lung protection for a patient on mechanical ventilation. This presentation will describe the mechanisms to adjust the FiO2 while safely providing the patient with needed supply.
4:40 pm – 5:10 pm
Closed-Loop Control of FiO2 in Neonates
Nelson Claure MSc PhD, Miami FL
Adjusting the amount of inspired oxygen in neonates is essential. This presentation will provide rationale, application and technology available to provide closed-looped control of oxygen.
3:40 pm – 5:15 pm
The Physical and Emotional Burden of Care-Giving
3:40 pm – 4:00 pm
A Review of the Literature on Caregiver Burden
Angela King RRT-NPS RPFT, Detroit MI
Participants will receive an overview of recent studies on caregiver burden (including a handout with a reference list) and will be able to identify populations at high risk for “caregiver burden.”
4:05 pm – 4:25 pm
Assessing Caregiver Burden
Barbara Rogers BS, New York NY
Participants will be able to list three survey instruments that can be used in their own practice and will gain an understanding of how to use the instruments in their own practice.
4:30 pm – 4:50 pm
A Day in the Life
Dana Wichern MS, Fort Wayne IN
Participants will gain an understanding of the burden COPD places on the spouse of the patient and will learn styles/techniques used by RTs that helped both the patient and the spouse deal with COPD.
4:55 pm – 5:15 pm
Caregiver Burden: How Do You Spot It and What Can You Do About It?
Norma Braun MD, New York NY
Participants will be able to list three signs/symptoms of caregiver burden and will be able to list three suggestions for families dealing with caregiver burden.
Continuing Respiratory Care Education (CRCE)
The International Respiratory Congress is approved for all the credit hours you need to maintain your state license, more than 26 hours.
3:50 pm – 4:45 pm
Management Section Membership Meeting
Douglas S Laher MBA RRT, Section Chair/ Presiding
4:15 pm – 5:05 pm
Back to Basics: COPD
Supported by an unrestricted educational grant from
David J Pierson MD FAARC, Seattle WA
COPD is part of the “bread and butter” of respiratory care, something on which everyone involved in the field needs to be an expert—and yet COPD is one of the most under-diagnosed and mis-diagnosed conditions in all of medicine. And despite a large evidence base and well-established clinical practice guidelines, management often falls far short of the standard of complications—and provides an overview of the current standards for assessment and management.