Chuan Tai Foo

I would like to sincerely thank the Asian Pacific Society of Respirology for supporting my attendance at the 2021 Virtual European Respiratory Society International Congress as part of the ERS/APSR Young Investigator Award. The ERS Congress is the largest annual respiratory events that showcases all the latest advances in respiratory medicine and science.

As many would know, the conference format consists of multiple concurrent knowledge and interest streams. The state-of-the-art sessions were definitely worth their weight in gold, providing insights into the latest, and sometimes thought-provoking developments in their respective fields. I particularly enjoyed the 'Hot news from the pleura' session, which left me thinking about how I can better integrate the latest evidence into my current practice. Other highlights for me were the Pro-Con debate on the diagnosis and management of post COVID interstitial lung disease, and the 'RETROLYSIS' presentation, both of which were very topical and clinically relevant to my practise.

In addition to attending these sessions, I was also able to present my own work on the use of a novel approach in the management of malignant pleural effusion by combining medical thoracoscopy, talc poudrage and insertion of an indwelling pleural catheter into a single day-case procedure. This approach achieved high pleurodesis success rates when compared to current treatment options without the need for hospitalisation, allowing the care of these patients to continue in times of limited hospital bed capacity. The discussion that followed with other experienced researchers was also a very valuable experience.

Overall, the meeting was educational, inspirational and highly enjoyable notwithstanding the virtual delivery due to the COVID pandemic. Once again, I would like to sincerely thank the APSR for their recognition and support in attending this meeting.