Recommendations from the ERS/ATS Guideline on COPD Exacerbation Prevention

Symposium
Chairs: A. Papi (Ferrara, Italy), J. Krishnan (Chicago, United States of America)
Aims: The audience will hear for the first time the new recommendations on the joint ERS/ATS guidelines on COPD exacerbations. These guidelines have been prepared following a EU-COST action on COPD exacerbations and used formal GRADE methodology. As NICE in 2010 had previously performed a GRADE analysis on some aspects of COPD exacerbations, this guideline followed an update model. This symposium will also address issues relating to methodology of guideline development as this is the first guideline developed by the ERS methodologist. The final talk , by the Chair of the Guidelines, will summarise the challenges and also eventually how to update guidelines.

Guideline methodology in the ERS/ATS COPD exacerbation guidelines T. Tonia (Lausanne, Switzerland)
COPD exacerbation definitions, assessment and diagnosis J. Hurst (London, United Kingdom)
Management of acute COPD exacerbations M. Miravitlles (Barcelona, Spain)
Challenges in COPD exacerbations and future research and unknowns J. Wedzicha (London, United Kingdom)