Among the series of State-of-the Art conferences of UMED this year was the very successful and comprehensive review of the current issues in the filed of Pulmonary and Critical Care Medicine. An enthusiastic audience, made up mostly of pulmonologists participated in this much awaited learning event. The Crowne Plaza Hotel, the venue for this event, was able to gather the most prominent names in the fields of Philippine Pulmonary Medicine and Critical Care. Among them were UMED Board of Advisers Drs. Teresita de Guia, Rodolfo Carungin, Cecil Tady, Jeniffer Ann Wi, all past presidents of the Philippine College of Chest Physicians (PCCP) and Dr. Ivan Villespin, a member of the PCCP executive board.

With the focal point of discussions on the latest updates on Adult Respiratory Distress Syndrome (ARDS), respiratory failure and septic shock among other things, it was an excellent assembly of renowned medical authorities who engaged in an academic sharing of knowledge and expertise. The organizing committee designed a very thorough program that focused on the pressing issues confronting the physicians in the practice of this field of specialty. Dr. Jesse Hall, a world renowned authority in critical care medicine and professor of the Department of Medicine, University of Chicago accepted the invitation to be one of the plenary speakers for the conference.

Competently coordinated by Ms. Regie Raymundo of UMED, the meeting was finally implemented on September 25 and 26. The delegates were diligently assisted by UMED’s partners from Unilab’s marketing divisions composed of Biomedis, UAP, Westmont and Unilab Consumer Health.

On morning of the meeting’s first day 252 participants trooped in line to the registration area manned by UMED’s staff headed by Ms. Marie Reyes. The program started with welcome remarks from Dr. Alexander Tuazon, Operating VP, Division of Medical & Regulatory Affairs and Dr. Edgardo Ortiz, Executive Director of UMED.

First to give a plenary lecture on “ARDS – Bench to Bedside” was Dr Jesse Hall. He discussed the current mechanisms of respiratory failure, factors aggravating lung injury and an update on the most recent modes of management of the disease. Dr. Rodolfo Roman Bigornia, a pulmonologist from Chong Hua Hospital, gave an extensive talk on the hemodynamic aspects of managing septic shock. This was followed by a lecture on “Edema Clearance of the Lung Parenchyma” by Dr. Abundio Balgos, a professor of Medicine from the UP-PGH. In the next plenary session, Dr. Ivan Villespin, a professor of Medicine from UST, addressed the crucial issues on fluid resuscitation in ARDS and the colloid-crystalloid controversy. The afternoon’s sessions highlighted the lectures of Drs. Agnes Mejia, head of the Department of Medicine, UP-PGH and Angeles Alora, professor of Bioethics from UST, on “Acute Renal Failure in the ICU” and Ethical Dilemmas in the Caring for the Critically Ill”, respectively. An interesting case of a post operative patient with pulmonary edema, was presented by Dr. Percival Punzal to the panel of experts. What ensued was an interactive discussion that featured and elucidated some of the controversies in the management of the case.

The second day of the conference included discussions on “Non-invasive Ventilation in Acute Respiratory Failure” and “Minimizing Delirium and Muscle Weakness in Patients with Respiratory Failure” by Dr. Hall. The last of the series of talks were delivered by Drs. Teresita de Guia, from the Philippine Heart Center and Dr. Albert Rafanan from Chong Hua Hospital, who gave comprehensive reviews on “Managing Septic Shock: More Than Just Antibiotics” and “Ventilator Associated Lung Injury”, respectively.

Aside from attracting the biggest number of participants in a pulmonary State-of-the-Art conference, UMED once again confirmed its leadership in Philippine CME activities through excellence in organizing the symposium.