Sleep problems need multidisciplinary cooperation—Report on the International Conference: Clinical Update Sleep 2016

“Modern life in the 21^st Century is now so high-pressured, often disturbed with noise, leading to severe problems with insomnia, hypersomnia, and sleep-disordered breathing. We live in a time where we have to deal with obesity-related issues, the prevalence of sleep-disordered breathing is increasing, and these are important issues on a large population scale which will impact on how we will live in future”. Dr. Joerg Steier from Guy’s and St Thomas’ Hospitals in the UK described above in an interview by Journal of Thoracic Disease (JTD). To update the clinical and research progress on sleep medicine, the International Conference: Clinical Update Sleep 2016 chaired by Dr. Steier was held successfully on February 26, 2016 in the Royal College of Physician in London, UK (Figure 1). Under the joint effort with Dr. Steier as the leading Guest Editor, valuable presentations and abstracts of this conference were exclusively published in the February 2016 issue of JTD (Figure 2) which was presented as a reading material disseminated to every delegate on the conference day (Figure 3).

Figure 1 The International Conference: Clinical Update Sleep 2016. (A) Conference site 1: Seligman Room; (B) conference site 2: Sloane Room, Royal College of Physicians, London, UK.

Figure 2 The Journal of Thoracic Disease (JTD) special issue dedicated to the International Conference: Clinical Update Sleep 2016 (V8N2, http://jtd.amegroups.com/issue/view/166).

Figure 3 At the exhibition booth, Journal of Thoracic Disease (JTD) special issue was disseminated to every delegate on the conference day.

This conference on clinical sleep medicine had an international faculty with experts from nine countries (including UK, Spain, Germany, Italy, Ireland, USA… etc.) to discuss the latest advances in sleep medicine (Figure 4). The following sessions were provided: Sleep-disordered Breathing, Insomnia and Circadian Rhythm Disorders, Hypersomnia, Parasomnias, and Hot Topics and Clinical Trials.

Figure 4 The conference rooms were full of earnest audiences. (A) Professor Wolfgang Oertel was giving a presentation on the topic “Rapid Eye Movement sleep behavior disorder—a potential gateway to prevention of Pakinson syndromes?”; (B) Professor Dieter Riemann in the conference gave an update on insomnia.

In the Hot Topics and Clinical Trials session, the most notable trial was the SERVE HF study led by Professor Helmut Teschler. Outcomes of the SERVE HF study were published in New England Journal of Medicine in 2015 (1), and caused a sensation in the field of sleep medicine as the outcomes have changed the standard of care in central sleep apnea. Still, on the conference, the SERVE HF study was further discussed. Moreover in this session, Dr. Brian Murray reported the research on H1N1 and narcolepsy, Dr. Sophie West gave a report on “Sleep apnea and the eyes-update on the ROSA trial”, and Dr. Patrick Murphy updated the trials of hypercapnic respiratory failure. Hopefully, these studies will produce significant impact on public health in the future, and more interesting findings remain to be explored in the young discipline of sleep medicine (Figure 5).

Figure 5 In front of a poster, Professor Gian Paolo Rossi, Dr. Joerg Steier and two of the attendees were in deep discussion.

Impressively I would say, the concept of multidisciplinary treatment (MDT) was also a key message that the conference has conveyed. This was fully embodied by the keynote speakers from diverse disciplines, such as, Professor Walter McNicholas in the field of sleep-related breathing disorders; Professor Juliane Winkelman in Neurology; Professor Gian Paolo Rossi in the field of cardiovascular disease, especially hypertension; Professor Dieter Riemann whose research focuses on psychiatric sleep disorders, and Professor Wolfgang Oertel who has experience of 30 years of research on Parkinson disease (Figure 6). Just as what Dr. Steier has said, “Sleep-disorders are not only a respiratory problem, they are not exclusively a psychiatric or neurological issue, sleep disorders are a combination of all these faculties, and this is precisely why sleep medicine is so attractive. In my eyes, a multi-disciplinary team provides the best treatment for patients with sleep disorders”.

Figure 6 Photos of experts with Journal of Thoracic Disease (JTD) Editors after interviews. (A) Professor Dieter Riemann and Editor Melanie He; (B) Professor Wolfgang Oertel and Editor Tina Pei; (C) Professor Gian Paolo Rossi and Editor Melanie He; (D) Dr. Nicholas Hart and the two Editors. Note: the interviews of the experts above will be published in JTD.

At the end of the conference, Dr. Steier as the Chair of this year’s conference gave a summary to the fruitful conference and thanked all the participants, as well as the JTD (Figures 7,8). Hopefully, the conference would bring more attention to the field of sleep medicine, to explore the mystery of sleep and improve the quality of life for human beings.

Figure 7 At the end of the conference. (A) The Journal of Thoracic Disease (JTD) was presented; (B) Dr. Joerg Steier (middle) and JTD Editors Melanie He (left), Tina Pei (right).

Figure 8 A group photo of the Dr. Joerg Steier, Dr. Nicholas Hart, as well as the conference staffs.

See you at the next conference in 2018!

Acknowledgements

None.

Footnote

Conflicts of Interest: The author has no conflicts of interest to declare.

References

1. Cowie MR, Woehrle H, Wegscheider K, et al. Adaptive Servo-Ventilation for Central Sleep Apnea in Systolic Heart Failure. N Engl J Med 2015;373:1095-105. [Crossref] [PubMed]