21 November, 2023
The third edition of the Respiratory Failure and Mechanical Ventilation (RFMV) Conference takes place from 15–17 February, 2024, in Berlin, Germany, and online.
The RFMV conference offers cutting-edge scientific sessions and interactive educational content. It gives participants the opportunity to interact with numerous experts in the field from all over the world, and take part in interactive sessions, hands-on practical skills workshops and presentations of original research and case reports.
Dr Marieke Duiverman, Head of ERS Assembly Group 2.02: Noninvasive ventilatory support, and Prof. Dr Christian Karagiannidis, Head of ERS Assembly 2: Respiratory intensive care, are Co-Chairs of the 2024 event. We spoke to them to find out more about the upcoming Conference.
What can you tell us about the Respiratory Failure and Mechanical Ventilation Conference?
MD: The RFMV conference is the key ERS event for anyone interested in the field of respiratory failure and mechanical ventilation. It is an important event where participants will have access to a range of interesting presentations and case-based sessions, as well as practical sessions on physiology and skills workshops. The conference is also a great chance to meet colleagues and experts in the field.
CK: The conference will focus on mechanical ventilation of all kinds, from the beginning of the disease, and acute and chronic care, to modes of ventilation, and the underlying disease. It is attended not only by doctors but also physiologists, physiotherapists, radiotherapists and other allied health professionals, this varied audience always leads to fruitful and interesting discussions on the subject.
Who should attend this event?
MD: The conference is suitable for a broad audience of professionals, not only adult and paediatric doctors, but also nurses, physiotherapists and all other respiratory professionals involved in the field.
CK: Allied respiratory professionals are so important in this field. We always have a wide variety of health professionals at the conference, making for a really nice atmosphere, so we encourage all involved in RFMV to join us in Berlin!
What are you most looking forward to from the conference programme?
MD: I am looking forward to the case-based sessions that will be at the conference. There will be such a range of experts and professionals from the field, so it is great to hear good work discussed with peers and colleagues.
We will also have practical workshops, with hands-on teaching covering several aspects of mechanical ventilation in both acute and chronic care, again giving participants the opportunity to engage with experts and peers on key topics.
CK: I am also interested to see the diaphragm getting more attention in the field of respiratory failure, not only in chronic patients but acute patients too, including how we measure this, how we ultrasound and so on. There will be an important discussion on the new acute respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS) guidelines, which is something I am particularly looking forward to.
What do you think will be the hot topics at RFMV 2024?
CK: One of the major points that we will discuss is acute care and the related aspects of mechanical ventilation. Another is ARDS – as the most extreme form of lung failure, it is something is increasingly important to discuss in ERS. The programme will also focus on a variety of specialist topics, such as problems of diaphragm.
MD: In the chronic field, we are covering a lot of aspects, such as remote monitoring and other advanced monitoring, looking at the respiratory muscles, and the clinical outcomes and organisation of care. The variety of topics means that there will be something of interest to everyone involved in the field.
Registration for the Respiratory Failure and Mechanical Ventilation Conference 2024 is currently open, with both on-site and online spaces available.