Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia Hosts Fifth Annual Chronic Lung Disease Conference

On March 13, a sold-out conference of more than 300 medical professionals from across the United States and Sweden gathered at the Union League of Philadelphia for the Fifth Annual Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia (CHOP) Chronic Lung Disease Conference. This year marked the largest conference to date.

Chronic lung disease (CLD), also known as bronchopulmonary dysplasia (BPD), is the most common chronic complication of premature birth. It affects approximately 25% of preterm infants with birth weights less than 750 grams.

“Management of infants with severe CLD/BPD presents a unique challenge due to its multisystem involvement and common association with multiple comorbidities,” said Huayan Zhang, MD, Program Director, Newborn and Infant Chronic Lung Disease Program at CHOP, and Co-course Director of the conference. “A coordinated, evidence-based, multidisciplinary approach is crucial to achieve the best outcomes for this high-risk population. Ideally, this strategy includes cohesive management between neonatal and pediatric care providers to facilitate high-level continuity of care during the transition to home and throughout the child’s life.”

This one-day program united professionals from multiple medical disciplines including: physicians, advanced practice nurses, physician assistants, nurse practitioners, and other members of the healthcare team such as occupational therapists, physical therapists, speech-language pathologists, pharmacists, dietitians and social workers who provide care for patients with CLD/BPD and their families.

“We are excited to bring together colleagues from around the country and around the world to our annual conference,” said Kathy Nilan, RN, nurse coordinator, Newborn and Infant Chronic Lung Disease Program, and Co-course Director. “We are so happy that our numbers grew to a sell-out capacity; this conference truly brings all the experts in CLD into one venue for a wonderful opportunity for information sharing.”

This year, highlights included discussion of advanced lung imaging techniques, an update on CHOP’s liquid ventilation trial, presentation of the latest research involving the definition of BPD, disease phenotypes, and lung repair/regeneration, as well as education on pulmonary hypertension and steroid therapy. Two CHOP Newborn/Infant Intensive Care (N/IICU) nurses spoke about their experience caring for infants with CLD. Attendees chose between two different afternoon sessions, depending on areas of interest. The conference concluded with an ethics discussion on extreme therapies for BPD management.

BPD Collaborative meeting

On the day following the Chronic Lung Disease Conference, CHOP hosted the yearly meeting of the BPD Collaborative, a group comprised of clinicians from 18 different institutions who are committed to improving care and lifelong outcomes of babies with severe BPD. The group shared updates on results from collaborative research trials, and discussed the status of upcoming projects. Breaking out into special interest subgroups allowed for robust and dedicated discussions. Those unable to attend in person were able to participate in the meeting via video conference. Beginning in 2020, the meeting will occur annually in Philadelphia.