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ERS International Congress 2015, Amsterdam

ERS Live Endoscopy Advance 010 newsletterLive Endoscopy

In a ground-breaking first for the ERS Congress, live procedures were transmitted to delegates from local centres. Delegates could see every detail of the procedures and interact with the experts as they performed them. Patient advocates also took part in the day, helping to ensure that the volunteers were comfortable throughout and providing information on what it is like to undergo these treatments. The session on lung cancer was followed by the demonstration of bronchoscopy with BAL, cryobiopsies, EBUS, and EUS (B) for interstitial lung diseases and flexible and rigid thoracoscopy for diagnosis pleural diseases. More techniques were demonstrated in the afternoon for emphysema and asthma. The day finished with transthoracic ultrasound for diagnosing suspected pleural fluid, white hemithorax, atelectasis, empyema, and diaphragm function problems. For more information visit the session page which includes links to educational materials.

See some photos from the day

OncTueOncology Tuesday

Oncology Tuesday began with a challenging clinical case session on multidisciplinary case discussion in thoracic oncology. This was followed by the first ERS live endoscopy session of the day demonstrating the diagnostic work-up of patients with suspected lung cancer using endosonography (EBUS, EUS, EUS (B), and radial EBUS), bronchoscopy and TBNA. A number of symposia covered an exciting range of cutting-edge science such as avoiding immune tolerance in lung cancer.

ERS Opening Ceremony Advance 002smallCongratulations to the 2015 Award and Gold Medal Winners

The Congress Opening Ceremony celebrated 25 years of ERS and the achievements of some of the leading lights in respiratory medicine. Professor Jeffrey M. Drazen was presented with the prestigious Presidential Award and our new Gold Medals were given to Professor Annemie Schols and Professor Adnan Custovic. The ELF Award went to André Lassooij for his outstanding sporting achievements and the promotion of physical activity for people who have received transplants. For 2016 ERS has also launched a Gold Medal for interstitial lung disease. Applications for all three Gold Medals for next year will remain open until February 2016.

ERS Repiratory Championships Advance 011 newsletterThe 2015 Respiratory Champions

Along with the audience who were being quizzed on their mobile devices, four teams battled their way through challenging case questions to gain the title of Respiratory Champions. Delegates took advantage of many opportunities to gain new skills at Congress: the Congress began with postgraduate courses and HERMES examinations on Saturday and continued with a number of varied sessions allowing delegates to build on their professional development. Online access to abstracts, handouts, presentation slides, webcasts and e-posters will be soon available from the ERS e-Learning Resources website. Find out more about upcoming educational courses throughout the year.

man takes spirometry testHealthy Lungs for Life in Amsterdam City Centre

As part of the Healthy Lungs for Life initiative we hosted a public lung health spectacular in Dam Square and Beursplein on 26 and 27 September. People took free lung tests, enjoyed physical activities and classes, and learned more about how to ensure they are being active in clean air. Why not run your own event? As well as a wealth of resources for patients and professionals, you can access an online toolkit for you to organise your own Healthy Lungs for Life events.

patients newsletter 1

Patients at Congress

The European Lung Foundation (ELF) ensured that the patient voice was incorporated into the Congress. Patient experts took part in a number of sessions including inhaler 'train the trainer' skills workshops, helping professionals to learn and teach the best techniques. Have a look at the Patient organisation programme to find out where patients took part in workshops and presented posters such as at the 'Respiratory research in the Netherlands' symposium and at the 'How to involve patients in research projects' session with ELF Chair Dan Smyth.

World village newsThe new World Village

The World Village nurtured collaborations between respiratory organisations from across the world throughout the Congress. There was a fantastic programme of talks in the new World Village Auditorium. Organisations from around the globe used this space to share updates from their own region and build networks with colleagues.

 

ERS Press Conference Advance 007 newsletterBreaking news from Congress

We released press releases throughout Congress. Topics included: differences between non-smokers and smokers with lung cancer, avoiding peaks in air pollution during a walk to work, a new agenda for action from ERS and WHO to stop TB and the launch of the Decade of the Lung by FIRS.

See all the press releases

ERS Russia Day speakersSpecial sessions in other languages

We were honoured to host experts from around the world for full days of sessions in Mandarin, Russian, Spanish and Portuguese. Slides were shown both in English and the others language and as speakers alternated between languages. Key issues in respiratory medicine were discussed and experts came together to collaborate and form new networks.