IFA Talks

🎤 Live from IFAD 2017 in Antwerp, Belgium! We're joined now by two local attendees , Sim and Tom , who've come to the conference from nearby. 👋 "We're from Brussels," they tell us. "I work in Bruges," says Sim, "and Tom works at the University Hospital in Brussels." 🗣️ So why did they come to IFAD? "We know about the conference because our new Head of the Intensive Care Department is Professor M...

🎥 Live from IFAD! I'm here with the ever-energetic David Lyness from Propofology.com and @gas_craic on Twitter. So, David—what are you up to at IFAD? 🗣️ "I'm herding cattle and cats—basically trying to rally the social media troops! I'm helping to run the social media campaign, getting content online, pushing Twitter hard, and broadcasting as much of the conference to the #FOAMed community as hum...

🎬 Lunchtime update from IFAD! We've just wrapped up a fantastic morning of the Critical and Acute Care Ultrasound (CACU) course , and it's been really popular! I'm here in my classic white IFAD t-shirt , soaking up the atmosphere—and now, we're bringing you some top ultrasound tips straight from our amazing faculty. 🎉 🎤 Cian: "When I teach ultrasound, I always wear jeans—and here's why. On your...

🎙️ Hello from the Fluid Academy! We're back again—and this time, I'm joined by Brendan Ri ardan , who might just be the furthest-traveled member of our faculty . Brendan, where have you come from? 🗺️ "I've come from Seattle in the US—but I did spend a bit of time traveling through the Netherlands before arriving here, so technically I've only just come from The Hague by train!" So maybe not quite...

When you walk into an ICU, you often see patients who look very much alike . Regardless of the original insult—be it trauma, infection, or another trigger—they're all receiving mechanical ventilation , hemodynamic support , renal replacement therapy , artificial feeding , and more. That's because any localized insult can trigger a systemic host response —transforming a regional issue into a body-w...

One of the more technical yet fascinating aspects I discussed was freeze substitution , a technique performed at -90°C , where water remains mobile , but larger molecules are immobilized . During this process, we introduce acridine orange and uranyl acetate , which results in a "fluffy" structural visualization —a revealing view into the delicate architecture we're studying. What I want the audien...

In extracorporeal support systems like ECMO , understanding pressure dynamics is key. For example, internal pressure refers to the pressure after the pump head but before the oxygenator . By comparing this with the arterial pressure , we calculate the pressure gradient (delta P) across the oxygenator—a critical metric for assessing oxygenator function and circuit performance. Our mission today is...

Over the years, the trend in fluid therapy has been clear: we're using fluids less and less . But if we project that trend too far into the future, we might imagine a time when we stop using fluids altogether —and I simply don't see that happening . There has to be a balance point —a place where we can appreciate both the benefits and the risks of fluids , and use them wisely. That's the real chal...

This is the environment I feel most comfortable in. Put me in a general practice setting—sitting in a quiet room with a patient—and I get nervous. My hands sweat, my heart races. But in the complex, high-stakes environment of intensive care , I feel completely at home . I am Matthew Morgan and I just delivered a talk that partially explored the  history of intensive care medicine , which dates bac...

The sodium conundrum. A conundrum is a riddle, a brain teaser, an enigma. So perhaps a better title for my talk would be: "The Riddle of Salts." I am Niels Van Regenmortel from Antwerp in Belgium and what I'm most passionate about in fluid management today is this: We should be doing much more to avoid excessive sodium administration in hospitalized patients. Why? Because sodium—not just fluid—is...

I am Mike Smet from Antwerp in Belgium. When I'm  teaching echocardiography , I always remind my students that there are really just three basic probe movements : You either rotate the probe, Slide the probe along the body, Or tilt it to change your angle of view. These simple techniques form the foundation of ultrasound scanning—and once understood, they empower clinicians to begin exploring visu...

Atrial fibrillation (AF) is likely the most frequent supraventricular arrhythmia encountered in clinical practice—and in the ICU, it's also a leading cause of diastolic heart failure . I am Martin Balik from Czech republic and in my lecture, I focused on the potential role of short-acting beta-blockers , particularly landiolol and esmolol , in the management of atrial fibrillation in critically il...

What is the effect of renal replacement therapy (RRT) modality on renal recovery in critically ill patients? I am Hilde De Geus from The Netherlands and that was the focus of my lecture—looking specifically at whether the choice between hemofiltration and dialysis impacts renal outcomes. There's a common myth in intensive care that hemofiltration is somehow superior for renal recovery. However, th...

Why are we still giving fluids to test fluid responsiveness? Today, we have methods to predict fluid responsiveness without administering a single drop of fluid . I'm referring, of course, to the passive leg raising (PLR) test , which functions as a reversible fluid challenge . I am Xavier Monnet from Paris in France and in my lecture today, I focused on the concept of  fluid challenges —or more p...

I am Jan Poelaert from Brussels, Belgium and it's undeniably difficult to distinguish between lung tissue and thrombus on ultrasound, especially in certain patient populations. During the CACU (Critical and Acute Care Ultrasound) workshops , I spoke about some of these challenges, particularly in our newer patient populations , such as those with obesity , where cardiovascular structures are harde...

I am Rob Wise and in South Africa , we normally maintain a supply of about two to three days' worth of emergency blood . But recently, we were down to just 0.7 days . That's not a warning sign—it's a national crisis . A severe shortage of blood products is placing enormous strain on healthcare services. My lecture focused on the use of fluids in resource-limited countries . One of the most importa...

One of the key advantages of colloid fluids in the operating room is their ability to provide a pronounced and stable plasma volume expansion . Unlike crystalloids—where most of the fluid tends to disappear from the vascular space within 30 minutes —colloids remain longer, offering more sustained intravascular support. I am Robert Hahn from Sweden and I've had a long-standing interest in fluid the...

We need technology to help us—not necessarily to work harder, but to work smarter. I am Yazine Mahjoub from France. Yesterday, I had the opportunity to give a lecture on the  right ventricle and how to evaluate right ventricular function using Doppler echocardiography . I emphasized to attendees that while this technique is relatively easy to perform , it does require practice and training , espec...

I am the Scientific Chairman of the Society of Cardiac Anesthesiologists of Thailand , and I've been traveling across Asia to promote fluid therapy and goal-directed therapy throughout the region. I must say, I found this meeting to be truly outstanding . It offers a global update on the latest data and practices in fluid management, all presented in an accessible and engaging format . While this...

As we previously published, the Mortality Prediction Model version II appears to be the most accurate tool for predicting maternal mortality in obstetric populations , particularly in low- and middle-income countries such as Colombia and others in Latin America . Our presentation focused on the use of severity of illness scores in pregnant patients . We evaluated several general severity indices a...

Let's try not to swing the pendulum too far in the other direction —risking another form of high mortality . Instead, let's aim to find the sweet spot . My lecture focused on de-resuscitation in the critically ill —and whether this could be the key to solving the problem of fluid overload . As we've seen, aggressive fluid administration may save lives in the early phases of shock, but excess fluid...

Simplicity is key. We need to keep things simple—because even experts often struggle to interpret complex data . That's why it's crucial to ensure that data are not only easy to access , but also easy to understand and act upon . My name is Geert Creemers , and I'm the CEO and founder of Argon Measuring Solutions . I'm probably one of the few, if not the only, non-medically trained professionals a...

Hi I am Annika Reintam Blaser from Estonia and when we talk about enteral nutrition , it's important to clarify that it can be administered via gastric , jejunal , or even transgastric routes—and each of these approaches matters . They are not interchangeable , and the route of administration can have a significant impact on tolerance and outcomes. In my lecture, I presented the European guideline...

I am Fabio Taccone from Brussels, Belgium. When you look at  real patients —and not just models—undergoing CPH (continuous purification therapies) and measured for antibiotic concentrations , what you find is striking: there is huge variability in how these drugs behave. I was invited to speak about the association between fluids and fluid overload , specifically in relation to pharmacokinetics —t...

Hi, I am Jan De Waele from Ghent, Belgium. At this meeting, fluid therapy has rightly taken center stage—with many presentations and discussions focused on when and how to give fluids . But far fewer have tackled the other side of the coin: fluid removal . In my talk, I addressed a topic that's gaining attention yet remains understudied : the dangers of fluid de-escalation . While it's a common in...