Respiratory care experts gathered in St. Petersburg, FL, June 10-11 for the 58th RESPIRATORY CARE Journal Conference on “Monitoring Respiratory Function in Adult Acute Care.”
Thomas Piraino, RRT, FCSRT, co-chaired the meeting with Lluís Blanch, MD, PhD. Other faculty included Gregory A. Schmidt, MD, Amanda M. Dexter, MSc, RRT, Tai Pham, MD, PhD, J. Brady Scott, MSc, RRT, RRT-ACCS, AE-C, FAARC, Ewan C. Goligher, MD, PhD, Brian K. Walsh, PhD, RRT, RRT-NPS, RRT-ACCS, RPFT, AE-C, FAARC, Craig R. Rackley, MD, Richard D. Branson, MSc, RRT, FAARC, James P. Lamberti, MD, Craig D. Smallwood, PhD, RRT, and Neil R. MacIntyre, MD, FAARC.
“I think the information presented at this conference, particularly due to the individual contributions of the faculty, will provide excellent resources for clinicians and perhaps encourage areas of future research related to monitoring,” Piraino said.
The overall objectives of the conference were to –
- Describe gas exchange monitors (pulse oximetry, capnography, transcutaneous).
- Discuss physiologic use of ventilator graphics.
- Explain how lung volume can be assessed in mechanically ventilated patients.
- Discuss the use of esophageal manometry in passively breathing and spontaneously breathing patients.
- Describe how breathing frequency, pattern, and effort can be assessed.
- Discuss approaches to assessment of diaphragmatic function.
- Explain how to maximize alarm sensitivity and specificity.
- Discuss the appropriate application of respiratory monitoring during invasive ventilation, noninvasive ventilation, in the general care wards, and during transport.
- Discuss the role of big data in the care of acutely ill adult patients.
Piraino shared these four key take-home messages from the meeting —
- Various monitoring techniques can definitely expand our understanding of the patient.
- Advanced monitoring can better direct our care.
- Some monitoring techniques can be more complicated than others, and how we utilize them should be evaluated with proper research.
- The future technology combined with the amount of available data may improve our early detection of problems and help us to better direct resources in the care of complex patients.
The American Respiratory Care Foundation has been hosting RESPIRATORY CARE Journal Conferences for more than 35 years to bring experts in various aspects of respiratory care together with Journal staff to shed new light on topics of concern to bedside respiratory therapists. The papers presented at the 58th Conference will be published in the June 2020 edition of RESPIRATORY CARE.
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