Infants and children have unique anatomic and physiologic considerations which make it challenging to safely achieve and maintain a patent airway. This lecture will review the equipment and techniques used to minimize the propensity for serious adverse events to occur while managing a pediatric airway.

Clinicians must consider several factors when deciding to intubate and place a patient on mechanical ventilation. Sometimes, the choice to intubate is obvious, often, it is not. During this lecture, the speaker will discuss factors that need to be considered when deciding if intubation is necessary, especially in those scenarios where the need to intubate is unclear.

Clinicians must consider several factors when deciding to extubate a patient. The choice to extubate is often obvious; however, sometimes it is not. During this lecture, the speaker will discuss factors that need to be considered when deciding if a patient is ready for extubation, especially in those scenarios where extubation readiness is unclear.

This interactive discussion will highlight several key articles published in the last two years, considering areas where COVID-19 has had significant impact on sleep health and immunity.

Airway clearance therapies (ACTs) are one of the many tools respiratory therapists have within their scope of practice to help augment secretion clearance and prevent airway obstruction. The lack of available high-level evidence related to ACTs has led to inconsistencies in practice among different pediatric institutions. For optimal use of clinician time and resources, we must embrace the judicious use of ACTs in the appropriate patient populations using evidence-based approaches.

The COVID pandemic has resulted in a significant number of deaths. Although critically ill children with COVID are fewer in number, children can develop significant diseases and die from COVID. Preparing families for the death of a child or loved one necessitates a plan to alleviate pain and suffering and provide comfort at end-of-life. Respiratory therapists play an important role in caring for patients and families at end-of-life. This session will explore how COVID can affect children and the role of the respiratory therapist with end-of-life care.

The impact of obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) extends beyond the individual; patients with OSA are likely to view their disorder as a burden for their spouse/partner. This presentation focuses on understanding CPAP adherence by considering the perspectives of both the patient and their spouse. Evidence will be discussed with emphasis on implications and recommendations to improve CPAP adherence through spousal involvement.

Providing respiratory therapy students with the essential elements of death and dying education is a critical component of the health sciences curriculum. However, numerous students stress the need for increased knowledge pertaining to the death process as well as emotional coping mechanisms to properly manage the death of a patient. This presentation will discuss the importance of enhancing our educational strategies to better equip respiratory therapy students for the death and dying process. The presentation will also provide teaching and training strategies developed to prepare for loss, grief, and bereavement. In addition, those attending the presentation will have the opportunity to hear from respiratory therapy students as they share what they believe are the most critical elements to death and dying education.

This presentation will review the principles of leadership and change, as well as characteristics of effective leaders in an evidence-based and interactive format. Models of change will also be reviewed to provide the respiratory therapist with a way to lead and understand change initiatives in an optimal way.

Ventilator management is a primary focus during ECMO support. Concise ventilator management is essential for early and successful separation from ECMO support. The lecture will discuss potential pulmonary complications that occur during ECMO. The best-practice ventilatory strategies and interventions will be discussed. The presentation will conclude with an evidence review of the most current evidence surrounding respiratory support during ECMO.

Have you ever considered developing an academic research program within your Respiratory Therapy Department? This lecture will provide an overview on necessary elements that are required in order to build a research team, promote professional development, evaluate new devices, acquire funding, purchase lab equipment, and develop processes that will place RT professionals at the forefront of cutting edge research. This lecture will also highlight the importance of mentorship and how to apply findings to improve safety, patient care, and outcomes.

This lecture will discuss how to embrace COVID related challenges in our academic programs. Scenarios will be presented, and strategies will be provided. It is time to rethink how student engagement can be accomplished with virtual learning becoming adopted in every program in some capacity. Identifying vulnerable students and how support can be offered is critical for student success. Students need to feel confident in their abilities despite any disruptions in their envisioned academic path.

As RTs, we know that we simply don’t get the visibility that physicians, nurses, and the large clinical departments get. One of the reasons is that we are much smaller than these departments. To increase our visibility your RT department can build and use a dashboard to address performance on quality, safety, engagement, financial performance, and clinical outcomes. This session will teach you how.

A winning mindset is the foundation for overcoming adversity. When you understand the difference between winning and success, you can begin with the “win in mind” to turn your obstacles into opportunities and develop resilience in the face of challenges.