Annual Congress Vienna 2012

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Advances in chronic respiratory failure in COPD: now out of its infancy

Symposium
Chairs: M.A. Spruit (Horn, The Netherlands), S. Nava (Bologna, Italy), P.W. Finn (La Jolla, United States of America)
Aims: The aims of this symposium are to elucidate the current understanding for chronic respiratory failure in COPD patients and more specifically:
- to provide an overview on modern possibilities of rehabilitation of most severe COPD patients;
- to emphasise the increasing evidence to support the use of high-intensity positive pressure ventilation in chronic hypercapnic COPD patients;
- to highlight the modern view of subjective perception of chronic respiratory failure and, in this regard, to discuss the current concept of quality of life in these patients;
- to provide insight into the taboo subject of the circumstances of how these patients die.

High-intensity noninvasive positive pressure ventilation for COPD: it works! W. Windisch (Cologne, Germany)
Reduced quality of life in severe COPD: how to assess and how to handle? P. Jones (London, United Kingdom)
How do patients with COPD and chronic respiratory failure die and what can we do? M. Vitacca (Lumezzane, Italy)