Throughout the practice of chest medicine, gaps in evidence leave clinicians without definitive answers to important questions. But as colleagues share their experiences and air their disagreements, those spaces of uncertainty can start to fill with valuable insights—and more than a few laughs.
This exchange of ideas will play out on stage once again during the Pardon the Disruption sessions at CHEST 2023. For the sixth year in a row, expert panelists will challenge each other on rapid-fire topics during a game show format that educates as much as it entertains.
“Having heard really smart people debating both sides of an issue makes us a little bit more comfortable in our day-to-day lives of managing patients,” said Session Chair and Past CHEST President, David Schulman, MD, MPH, FCCP.
This year, three sessions across 3 days will focus on controversies in critical care, asthma, and interventional pulmonology.
The debates kick off on Monday with the Controversies in Critical Care Tournament of Champions, from 8:30 am to 9:30 am, in Room 315 of the convention center. Winners from past installments of the critical care debate—David Bowton, MD, FCCP; Kristin Burkart, MD, MS, FCCP; and Andre Holder, MD, MSc—will discuss options in the management of ARDS and sepsis, including ventilator modes, fluid management, and proning. The panel will also grapple with appropriate use of new technologies and pharmacologic agents in the ICU.
On the heels of impressive attendance last year, Controversies in Asthma will return on Tuesday, from 8:30 am to 9:30 am, in Room 315. The 2022 champion, Monica Kraft, MD, FCCP, will be joined by Praveen Akuthota, MD; Reynold Panettieri, MD; and Michael Wechsler, MD. Panelists will tackle the role of biologics in the management of severe asthma and the role of new diagnostic modalities in the diagnosis and management of asthma.
The final installment of Pardon the Disruption at CHEST 2023 will feature a brand-new group of contestants: interventional pulmonologists. Controversies in Interventional Pulmonology will take place Wednesday, from 7:15 am to 8:15 am, in Room 315. The expert panel will include A. Christine Argento, MD, FCCP; Carla Lamb, MD, FCCP; Lonny Yarmus, DO, MBA, FCCP; and Past CHEST President, Gerard Silvestri, MD, MS, Master FCCP. Their debate will cover the use of novel procedural modalities in the diagnosis of lung cancer, as well as the role of lung cancer screening methods in different populations.
“Proceduralists are a group you’d think that we would have engaged with in the past because they tend to be very opinionated and are not afraid of throwing themselves out there,” Dr. Schulman said. “It should be a fireworks show.”
Rest assured, any sparks flying around the room are in the spirit of good-natured, collegial competition. As host and referee, Dr. Schulman encourages panelists to value style as much as substance and scores points accordingly. An additional commentator will be on hand to help keep facts straight, and the audience will also have ample opportunity to weigh in—and even swing points in real time.
“If you’re looking for a wonderful 45 to 60 minutes of entertainment where you’re also going to learn a lot and get a chance to hear from the best and brightest minds in the business, this session is for you,” Dr. Schulman said. “Bring some popcorn.”