American Association for Respiratory Care Congress 2016

In October, Patrick Cho, one of our RTs at BCITS, attended the American Association for Respiratory Care congress in San Antonio, Texas. This is a big annual national conference spread over 4 days with over 300 original research projects, 120 speakers, and 210 sessions of current respiratory care topics.

This conference was developed with the patient in mind, from zeroing in on the latest treatments and technologies aimed at helping her recover from a critical illness, to highlighting the new and important role we can play in keeping him health and out the acute care hospital through the better use of disease management and telemedicine.

At this type of events a therapist has the opportunity to actually sit back and see what everyone else is doing to move forwards and see what’s working well. The knowledge acquired at these events is passed back to the team at BCITS where it filters down to ultimately benefit our clients.

On site, the exhibit hall was buzzing from the constant chatter of vendors showcasing their latest technology and devices. One booth was presenting an outstanding piece of new technology. Ventec Life Systems unveiled a device, which is called the VOCSN, to the public at this conference.

VOCSN stands for Ventilation, Oxygen, Cough, Suction, and Nebulizer. What is so unique about it? It combines different therapies into one device! Trying out the working demo unit, it was amazing at how convenient and portable it is. With all that said, VOCSN is still waiting for FDA approval, so it’s not for sale yet and there is no price point at the moment. However, it is exciting to see cutting edge technology and to witness innovations pushing the boundaries of what will be happening in the near future.