The Pediatric Core Curriculum at the ATS 2025 International Conference will host its third and final session at 9:30 a.m. PT on Wednesday, May 21, in the Moscone Center, Room 215-216, concluding the series’ exploration of current and emerging pediatric pulmonary testing methods. The closing day’s presentations will delve into vital considerations for ventilator diagnostics in the home and inpatient settings. The talks will address diagnostic concepts for chronic home ventilation needs, as well as acute inpatient ventilation strategies. 

Advancements in pediatric care and mechanical ventilation have led to a notable increase in the number of children prescribed home mechanical ventilation (HMV) treatment. Correspondingly, home ventilation programs are increasing throughout the country. “The emerging prevalence of HMV increases the need for pediatric pulmonologists to be up to date on diagnostic maneuvers on how to best interpret data from home ventilators in order to optimize chronic ventilation in these patients,” explained Caroline Okorie, MD, MPH, clinical associate professor at Stanford University and chair of the Pediatric Core Curriculum. The presentation will review how to interpret information obtained from ventilator therapy data downloads, focusing on how these data can guide clinical decisions.

“We will cover an overview of how to think about patients on HMV, when to change ventilator settings, troubleshooting, and other techniques to provide more effective and comfortable ventilation,” said Carmen Leon Astudillo, MD, clinical assistant professor at the University of Florida and vice chair of this year’s Pediatric Core Curriculum. “We will also touch on the utility of polysomnography in patients with chronic HMV.”

The second half of Wednesday’s session will cover important basic and advanced knowledge for managing and troubleshooting inpatient ventilators. This is a critical topic as pediatric pulmonologists are often consulted to help the intensive care unit adjust settings for pediatric patients and assist those transitioning to HMV once they leave the acute setting. This discussion will also review some notable data generated specifically from hospital ventilators.

“Inpatient ventilators provide pressure volume loops, breath-to-breath information, and more detailed indications of discomfort or issues with, for example, asynchrony,” Dr. Leon Astudillo said.

The goal of the core curriculum is to support clinicians engaged in maintenance of certification (MOC) activities by providing updates on subjects included in recertification requirements. The ATS Clinical Core Curriculum Symposia focuses on key topics in adult and pediatric pulmonary, critical care, and sleep medicine. The topics are aligned with the corresponding MOC Medical Knowledge modules. This symposium is intended to help clinicians stay up to date with important information relevant to their medical practices and to provide an opportunity for clinicians to evaluate their knowledge and skills while earning MOC Medical Knowledge points.

This year’s Pediatric Core Curriculum was tailored to address timely issues of interest based on the survey responses from numerous ATS programming leaders.

“I’m happy we were able to survey our members and focus on a requested topic theme this year,” Dr. Okorie added. “We have a diverse lineup of speakers this year in terms of sub-specialty, experience, and location, and I think all attendees will gain something to take back to their patients and communities.”