ERS International Congress 2022: highlights from the Respiratory Clinical Care and Physiology Assembly

Abstract

It is a challenge to keep abreast of all the clinical and scientific advances in the field of respiratory medicine. This article contains an overview of laboratory-based science, clinical trials and qualitative research that were presented during the 2022 European Respiratory Society International Congress within the sessions from the five groups of the Assembly 1 – Respiratory clinical care and physiology. Selected presentations are summarised from a wide range of topics: clinical problems, rehabilitation and chronic care, general practice and primary care, electronic/mobile health (e-health/m-health), clinical respiratory physiology, exercise and functional imaging.

Significant burden of post-COVID exertional dyspnoea in a South-Italy region: knowledge of risk factors might prevent further critical overload on the healthcare system

“…Several underlying mechanisms have been evoked, such as systemic microclotting/thromboinflammation, reduced metabolic oxidative capacity, virus-induced alterations in muscle tissue, and inactivity-induced muscle loss ( 18 , 36 , 45–49 ). Previous studies showed that a substantial proportion of Post-COVID Syndrome-affected patients with exertional dyspnea display radiological evidence of pulmonary interstitial disease, with heterogeneous aetiologies, such as pulmonary fibrosis conditions induced by the initial COVID-19 episode, previously identified interstitial fibrosis showing SARS-CoV-2-associated worsening/deterioration, as well as previously undiagnosed interstitial fibrosis unraveled by SARS-CoV-2 infection ( 50 , 51 ). Furthermore, persistent interstitial disease and pulmonary embolism-related sequelae are also part of the dyspnea-associated spectrum post-COVID-related disease ( 33 , 52 , 53 ).…”

“…It can be surmised that a fraction of dyspneic patients and 6-mwt-associated desaturation events might have been secondary to signs of a residual thin scattered area of the lung parenchyma involved by interstitial disease, although we could not test such an assumption since the radiological thoracic examination was not routinely part of our clinical protocol and data of chronic lung affection was not collected systematically in our cohort. Indeed, despite some chest CT abnormalities (ground-glass opacities, reticulations, interstitial thickening, fibrosis, and bronchiectasis) may persist 3 months after SARS-CoV-2 infection, only a weak correlation has been reported between abnormalities observed on “resting” investigations, such as imaging, and post-COVID exertional dyspnea ( 51–54 ).…”

ERS International Congress 2023: highlights from the Respiratory Clinical Care and Physiology Assembly

“…Digital health is an ERS priority, as reflected by the launch of the ERS-funded Clinical Research Collaboration “CONNECT” (Moving multiple digital innovations towards connected respiratory care: addressing the over-arching challenges of whole systems implementation) [ 63 ]. Several advancements were presented, compared to previous ERS Congresses [ 1 , 64 – 67 ], on a great diversity of topics ( figure 3 ). The sessions summarised in this section are “Digital solutions for respiratory medicine: a new way of working”, “Remote monitoring of respiratory patients” and “Digital health innovations in respiratory healthcare”.…”

“…Although the virtual platform allows presentations to be replayed, it can be challenging to keep up to date with all the scientific and clinical advances. That's why, every year, the Early Career Members Committee coordinates reports summarising the most significant presentations from each assembly [ 1 – 14 ]. This article, therefore, aims to share some of the highlights from the Respiratory Clinical Care and Physiology Assembly.…”