Several members of the University of Louisville Division of Pulmonary, Critical Care & Sleep Disorders Medicine and the U of L Department of Medicine Lung Health Initiative (LHI) participated in the recent 2014 American Thoracic Society International Conference, an annual meeting of the largest respiratory society in the world.

Among the highlights for the U of L contingent include:

• Members of the LHI participated in activities related to the Health Equality Initiative of the ATS, an initiative that has become a center piece of the society’s strategy towards reducing health disparities. The May issue of the Annals of the ATS focused on this area.
• Department of Medicine Chairman Dr. Jesse Roman ended his term as Chair of the ATS Respiratory Cell & Molecular Biology (RCMB) Assembly and accepted the position of Chair of the Medical Advisory Board of the Pulmonary Fibrosis Foundation.  He also served on the new RCMB Working Group on the Future of Idiopathic Pulmonary Fibrosis Research, participated in a panel discussion about Careers for Junior Investigators, facilitated poster discussion sessions on interstitial lung disease, and delivered a lecture in the session Breakthroughs of the Year: Aging and Senescence.
• Researchers from the LHI Lung Cancer Team presented novel observations about the mechanisms by which nicotine promotes lung cancer (Edilson Torres-Gonzalez and John Greenwell).
• The LHI Lung Interstitial Lung Disease Team presented on the role of aging in lung tissue remodeling and fibrosis and how tobacco influences these processes (Glenn Vicary and Jeffrey Ritzenthaler).  They also presented information about sarcoidosis (Karim El-Kersh, Tanya Wiese, Rafael Perez).
• The LHI Critical Care Medicine Team discussed the role of lactate levels in critically ill patients (Rodrigo Cavallazzi).
• The LHI Pulmonary Hypertension Team presented cases requiring innovative approaches to the management of pulmonary hypertension and pulmonary embolism (Patton Thompson, J. Shaun Smith). They also presented information on histone deacetylase inhibitors using animal models of pulmonary vascular disease (Igor Zelko and Rodney Folz).
• Members of the LHI COPD Team presented new methods for stimulation of abdominal muscles to improve breathing and related areas (Rodney Folz).
• The LHI Lung Transplantation Team presented on allograft rejection (David Nunley, Victor Van Berkel, Allan Ramirez).

In addition, Pulmonary/CCM Fellows in from the pulmonary division participated in the Fellows Track Symposia  and presented the following posters:

• Left Recurrent Laryngeal Nerve Paralysis: A Rare Presentation Of Sarcoidosis - Karim El-Kersh,Tanya Wiese, Rafael Perez
• A Change Of Voice: Pulmonary Arterial Hypertension Presenting With Ortner's Syndrome - Daniel Gorbett, Karim El-Kersh, Elizabeth McDaniel, J. Shaun Smith
• Lactate Level In Critically Ill Patients With Acute Gastrointestinal Bleeding - Udit Chaddha, Rahul S. Sinha, Karim El-Kersh, Matthew Woodford, Rodrigo Cavallazzi
• Health Insurance Status And Clinical Outcomes Among Patients Hospitalized In The Intensive Care Unit - Udit S. Chaddha, Matthew Woodford, Karim El-Kersh, Rahul Sinha, Rodrigo Cavallazzi, Rafael Perez, Timothy Wiemken
• Single-Breath Diffusing Capacity (DLCO) As A Predictor Of Significant Oxygen Desaturation With Exertion In Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease (COPD) - Bhaskara Lakshmi Gowkanapalli, Rafael Perez
• National Healthcare Utilization After Implementation Of Lung Allocation Scoring System For Lung Transplantation - Bhaskara Lakshmi Gowkanapalli, Allan Ramirez, David Nunley, Victor Van Berkel
• Functional Status In The Post Lung Allocation Score Era - Mona Parikh, Victor Van Berkel, Jaimin Trivedi, Allan Ramirez, David Nunley
• Subcutaneous Treprostinil As A Bridge To Transplant In A Case Of Severe Pulmonary Arterial Hypertension Due To Partial Anomalous Pulmonary Venous Return - Patton Thompson, Daniel Gorbett, Elizabeth McDaniel, Curt Daniels, J. Shaun Smith
• Hepatopulmonary Syndrome Unmasked After Single Lung Transplantation - Christopher Barber, Allan Ramirez, David Nunley, Victor Van Berkel
• Carcinoid Tumerlet Associated With Foreign Material Inhalation In The Absence Of Underlying Lung Disease - Emran Abu Atherah , Rafael Perez