IFA Talks

Again, what we see is that very low or very high values — when extreme enough —can sometimes offer predictive value . It's in the extremes that we occasionally find meaningful guidance. My name is Professor Anders Perner , and I'm based at Copenhagen University Hospital in Denmark . At this year's IFAD meeting, I participated in a Pro/Con debate on the use of central venous pressure (CVP) monitori...

Until now, I've noticed that the topic of anemia —and the oxygen-carrying capacity of the blood —has not been mentioned much. We've heard discussions on hypovolemia , fluid overload , and volume status, but anemia , which directly impacts oxygen delivery , seems to be underrepresented in the conversation. My name is Professor Can Ince , and I'm a physiologist , not a clinician. I have the pleasure...

It appears that albumin therapy may offer advantages , particularly when used early in patients with mild to moderate hypoalbuminemia . My name is Professor Luciano Gattinoni , and I'm presenting on three topics at this year's congress: The use of albumin in intensive care The treatment of Acute Respiratory Distress Syndrome (ARDS) And finally, a session of closing reflections on the future of int...

In this study, as you can see, there is a clear signal in favor of patients who received colloids during their resuscitation in the ICU. My name is Prof. Karim Asehnoune , and I am a Professor of Anesthesiology and Critical Care Medicine at the University Hospital of Nantes in France , where I work in the surgical intensive care unit . My lecture focused on the therapeutic potential of starch-base...

I am Dileep Lobo from UK. Before we began the debate, I posed a question to the audience: "How many of you would consider giving your patient a drug that wouldn't even pass a Phase 1 clinical trial?" That question set the tone for the discussion. Today, I gave two lectures . The first was a debate on 0.9% saline versus balanced crystalloids , in which I argued in favor of balanced crystalloids as...

One of the major challenges we face is the assumption that patients fully recover from acute kidney injury (AKI) through regeneration of the tubular epithelium, with a return to normal renal function. However, it's actually quite easy for this repair process to shift toward fibrosis , ultimately leading to the development of chronic kidney disease (CKD) . My name is Dr. John Prowle , and I'm a Sen...

First of all , I'd like to explore why it's so important to optimize ventilator settings in our ICU patients. My name is Prof. Diederik Gommers , and I'm based in Rotterdam, the Netherlands , where I serve as Head of the Intensive Care Department and Professor of Intensive Care Medicine . My research specialization is in mechanical ventilation . In my lecture, I will discuss strategies for optimal...

I'm here to introduce our host and chairman, Dr. Manu Malbrain . Dr. Manu Malbrain: Thank you, Monty. Thank you, Dirk. And welcome, everyone. This meeting originally started in our hospital in collaboration with the ZiekenhuisNetwerk Antwerpen (ZNA) in Antwerp, Belgium . We're proud to say that this is now the fifth edition of the International Fluid Academy Days (IFAD) , and a lot has changed sin...

What I'd like to do over the next 15 minutes is to give you a brief overview of the history and rationale behind the development of balanced solutions . My name is Dr. Pietro Caioni , and I'm an intensivist working in an ICU in Milan, Italy . In my presentation, I focused on two key aspects: The impact of balanced solutions on acid-base equilibrium —a critical factor in maintaining physiological s...

How many of you have a formal echocardiography or ultrasound training program in your institution? My name is Dr. Adrian Wong , and I'm a Consultant in Intensive Care Medicine at Oxford University Hospitals NHS Trust in the UK. I'm delighted to be giving a couple of talks at this year's IFAD meeting . I'll first be taking part in the ultrasound debate . Although I'm personally a strong believer in...

How many of you have ever used this— before measuring the CVP (central venous pressure)? It's a question that highlights the variability in how we approach fluid therapy at the bedside. My name is Professor Daniel Reuter , and I'm based in Hamburg, Germany . I was invited to speak about the role of CVP monitoring in guiding fluid therapy , a topic that continues to generate discussion and debate i...

That's the challenge—we need to define and target specific hemodynamic goals . But the question remains: Can we truly find one hemodynamic target that fits everyone—you, her, him, and me? I'm Professor Azriel Perel from Tel Aviv , and I just participated in a pro/con debate on goal-directed therapy (GDT) . While GDT is gaining popularity, it's important to recognize that it often means different t...

As you can see in this picture, I completed a one-year research fellowship at the University of California, Irvine , where I had the privilege of being mentored by Prof. Maxime Cannesson . My name is Dr. Alexandre Joosten , and I'm an anesthesiologist in the Department of Anesthesiology and Perioperative Care at Erasmus Hospital in Brussels . Today, I had the opportunity to give two lectures . The...

As Hippocrates once said—a sad and unfortunate truism— "He who wants to learn the art of surgery must go to war." And that's essentially what the Guinea Pig Club represented. I'm Professor David Muckart from South Africa , and my lecture focused on the Guinea Pig Club , a remarkable group of injured aircrew from World War II , many of whom were fighter pilots who sustained severe burns during comb...

I'm Jeffrey Schouten from Belgium and genuinely excited to see that a congress focused on emergency and intensive care medicine is placing such a strong emphasis on ultrasound . To me, ultrasound is truly the stethoscope of the modern physician —an essential tool for bedside diagnosis and decision-making. That's why I believe it's so important to have dedicated discussions and sessions on ultrasou...

If you don't detect a lung sliding sign , it could indicate a pneumothorax —but it doesn't necessarily confirm one. Absence of sliding is suggestive , but not definitive . My name is Willem Stockman , and I'm an anesthesiologist-intensivist at AZ Delta Hospital in Roeselare, Belgium . I'm here to speak about the use of ultrasound as a guidance tool for placing central venous lines and arterial lin...

I am Jan Poelaert from Brussels, Belgium. We often use transdiaphragmatic echocardiography —especially transesophageal echo (TEE) —to better understand what's happening in the left heart , and particularly the right heart , which can be difficult to assess with transthoracic views alone. Today, I gave a lecture focused on transesophageal echocardiography (TEE) —an advanced approach to cardiac ultr...

One important point to always keep in mind at the bedside is that there are limitations to using stroke volume variations during mechanical ventilation as a tool to assess fluid responsiveness. My name is Xavier Monnet , and I work at Bicêtre Hospital in Paris, France . My lecture focused on the prediction of fluid responsiveness using echocardiography , a topic that has become increasingly import...

This is one of the first studies to report on the relationship between mean right atrial pressure and the diameter of the inferior vena cava (IVC) measured during expiration . My name is Professor Vieillard-Baron . I am based in Boulogne , where I serve as the Head of the Intensive Care Unit at the university hospital. My lecture focused on how to evaluate right ventricular (RV) function using ech...

You may observe very good contractility of the left ventricle, but if the afterload is significantly elevated , the ejection fraction may still appear reduced. This distinction is essential in understanding left ventricular performance. My name is Michel Slama , and I am a Full Professor of Intensive Care Medicine at Amiens University Hospital in France . My lecture focused on left ventricular fun...

This is what I refer to as the correct terminology . We begin with the peri-heart , focusing on the heart itself—specifically, the volume status of the right ventricle . My lecture today is about lung ultrasound , and from my perspective, the lung is just as vital as the heart. Traditionally, the lung was considered off-limits for ultrasound—it wasn't thought to belong in the domain of sonography....

I am Mike Smet. We use this view to examine the spleen and kidney. To obtain it, the ultrasound probe must be placed very posteriorly—so much so that your hand and the probe are both resting against the stretcher, with your knuckles often touching it. This positioning is essential to get a proper view of the retroperitoneal structures. I work at the Middelheim Hospital of ZNA in ANtwerp, Belgium,...

Still, I'd like to ask— which of the following methods most accurately identifies the location of a nasogastric (NG) tube in the stomach? This is part of our ICU Quiz , specifically designed for intensive care nurses. I believe it's an excellent educational initiative because it encourages participants to think critically about their daily clinical practice. What stands out most is how engaged and...

1. Rainer Gatz (Copenhagen, Denmark) My name is Rainer Gatz. I work in one of the hospitals in Copenhagen. There are quite a lot of easy-to-learn applications in ultrasound which are fitting for beginners—this is essentially the essence of the FAST examination. These applications must be fast and easy to learn. Abdominal ultrasound is probably a bit more complicated, but even there, some applicati...

I am Xavier Monnet from Paris in France. Today, there is strong evidence that  excessive fluid loading is harmful to ICU patients. The good news is that we now have reliable tools to help guide our decisions: tools that indicate when to give fluids —and just as importantly, tools that help us determine when to withhold them . This allows us to tailor fluid therapy more precisely and safely than ev...