Johns Hopkins will host the first-ever U.S. International Tracheostomy Symposium with a keynote speech from former Ravens football player O.J. Brigance, who was diagnosed with ALS in 2007, a disease that left him with a long-term tracheostomy — a procedure to open a person’s airway with a tube, also called a trach.

WHO: The Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, the Global Tracheostomy Collaborative and Austin Health’s Tracheostomy Review and Management Services

WHAT: The event is a two-day conference focusing on research and trends in the field of airway care and medicine. Keynote speaker O.J. Brigance will talk about his own experience living with a trach to help him breathe after complications from ALS. Panelists and presenters will discuss breaking research in the field. Additionally, clinicians, patients and families will talk about their personal stories and the need to de-stigmatize trachs in America.  

WHEN:

• Friday, April 29, from 7:15 a.m.–5 p.m.
• Saturday, April 30, from 7:15 a.m.–5 p.m.

SESSION HIGHLIGHTS:

Friday, April 29

• 9:30 a.m. – “An International Perspective on Tracheostomy Care”
  Scientists from the U.K. and Australia talk about the field of airway care from an international viewpoint.

• 10:40 a.m. – “U.S. Innovations in Tracheostomy Care”
  Researchers and clinicians discuss technologies, patient care initiatives, quality improvement projects and ethical considerations related to airway care.

• 1:10 p.m. – “Living with Tracheostomy”
  O.J. Brigance will deliver the afternoon keynote remarks about his personal experience.

• 2:30 p.m. – “Reflections of Life with a Tracheostomy”
  A panel of patients and their family members share stories about the impact of a tracheostomy, their experiences and their advice for other patients/families.

Saturday, April 30

• 10:50 a.m. –  “When Things Go Wrong”
  A presentation by international trauma surgeon and prosthetic expert Albert Chi, M.D., M.S.E., assistant professor of surgery at the Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine.

• 11:20 a.m. – “Quality of Life, End of Life, and Ethical Considerations”
  A talk by end-of-life expert Adam Schiavi, M.D., Ph.D., assistant professor of anesthesia and critical care medicine, about when to consider a tracheostomy when the patient approaches the end of life.

• 3:40 p.m. – “The Holy Grail: Decannulation in Adult Patients”
  A discussion by Vinciya Pandian, Ph.D., M.S.N., assistant professor of anesthesia and critical care medicine, about the process of removing a tracheostomy tube from a patient, the challenges associated with the process and how it can be done safely. A similar presentation will be done by Margaret Skinner, M.D., regarding decannulation in pediatric patients.

WHERE: Johns Hopkins Thomas B. Turner Building
720 Rutland Ave., Baltimore, MD 21205
Parking is available in the Washington Garage (located at East Monument and Washington streets).