5 December | Online | 18:00-19:00 CET

Weaning from mechanical ventilation represents a crucial step in the recovery process following endotracheal intubation in patients with acute respiratory failure. Delayed weaning from mechanical ventilation is associated with adverse clinical outcome, increases the risk of dying and increases length of stay in the intensive care unit. Weaning duration affects health care resource use, whether direct financial costs or the opportunity for other patients of consumption of finite critical care capacity.

WEAN SAFE is an international collaboration among 50 countries and 500 ICU's around the globe to investigate the epidemiology, practice and outcome of weaning from mechanical ventilation. WEAN SAFE is an ERS co-funded clinical research collaboration and the first results of this collaboration investigating almost 6000 patients have been published very recently (Pham et al, Lancet RM, 2023). These results are highly relevant from clinical, scientific and patient perspective. A webinar would be an ideal format to discuss the findings and implications of the first WEAN SAFE results.

Educational aims

• To define weaning from invasive mechanical ventilation in endotracheally intubated and tracheostomized patients.
• To provide an overview of the outcome of patients weaning from invasive mechanical ventilation.
• To provide an overview of modifiable and non-modifiable factors affecting weaning outcome
• To discuss variations in weaning practices

Topics

• WEAN SAFE: a brief introduction to a long journey - Giacomo Bellani
• Why is it important to reduce duration of mechanical ventilation - Margaret Herridge
• Highlights from WEAN SAFE - John Laffey
• Panel discussion: Challenges in ventilator weaning - Laurent Brochard, Giacomo Bellani, Margaret Herridge, John Laffey

Target audience:

• Pulmonologists
• Intensivists
• Residents/fellows
• Nurses
• Allied health care professionals
• Clinical scientists
• Physiologists
• Students

Format

• The webinar will start with an introduction lecture and an introductory lecture on weaning from mechanical ventilation.
• Thereafter a panel discussion will follow to discuss novel insights from WEAN SAFE (with MCQ/opinion from participants)
• During/after the panel discussion, there will be a patient perspective.

Learning outcomes

After following this webinar, participants should be able to:

• Define the weaning process and list criteria to initiate weaning from mechanical ventilation
• Evaluate the epidemiology of weaning
• Understand factors that can be modified to optimize weaning outcome.

CME credit

An application for accreditation of this webinar has been made to the European Board for Accreditation in Pneumology (EBAP) for 1 CME credit per 1-hour attendance. If accredited, the CME credit will be granted upon attendance of at least 60 minutes during the live webinar only.