CCS25: Ventilation

Critical Care Summit is a biennial Australasian conference, aimed at providing targeted education and engagement for critical care practitioners, including paramedics, nurses, and emergency and retrieval physicians. The Critical Care Summit 2025 (CCS25) was hosted in Melbourne (May).

Conference theme: Mastering the essentials

ECMO – Ventilation without the lungs

Presented by: Assoc Prof David Anderson, Medical Director, Ambulance Victoria; Adjunct Associate Professor, Monash University; Intensivist, Alfred Health

Veno-Venous Extra-Corporeal Membrane Oxygenation (VV-ECMO) is a rescue therapy for refractory respiratory failure. It is used when patients have failed to respond to other treatments such as lung protective ventilation and prone positioning. In the post-COVID era it is an increasingly common therapy. Critical Care Paramedics may be involved in the interhospital transport of patients on VV-ECMO as part of a critical care retrieval team. This session will give an overview of respiratory failure and VV-ECMO and give critical care paramedics some practical tips for managing common problems that may be encountered during the interhospital transport of patients on VV-ECMO.

Mastering Ventilation: From BVM to mechanical ventilation

Presented by: Nick Roder, MICA Flight Paramedic, Air Ambulance Victoria

Effective ventilation is one of the most critical—and often underappreciated—skills in paramedicine. From the aspiring critical care paramedic to the seasoned practitioner, this session will provide practical, real-world strategies to enhance airway management and ventilation techniques in any setting.

This comprehensive session will cover:

• The fundamentals of ventilation – understanding the physiology behind effective oxygenation and ventilation.
• Bag-Valve Mask (BVM) mastery – perfecting technique, optimising seal, and minimising complications.
• Mechanical ventilation made easy – breaking down settings, modes, and troubleshooting like a pro.
• Tips, tricks & case-based learning – practical insights to take your skills to the next level.

If you’ve ever struggled with ventilation, felt overwhelmed these concepts, or want to refine your approach to managing critically ill patients, this session is for you.

Moderated by: Dr Ben Meadley, Director, Paramedicine Ambulance Victoria

Presenter Biographies:

• Assoc Prof David Anderson: David is the Medical Director of Ambulance Victoria; he is also an intensive care physician at The Alfred Hospital, and an Adjunct Associate Professor in the Department of Paramedicine at Monash University. David worked as a paramedic in Auckland, New Zealand before completing medical training at the University of Auckland and then undertaking postgraduate training in intensive care medicine. During postgraduate training he also worked in anaesthesia, palliative medicine and prehospital and retrieval medicine in Auckland, Sydney and Toronto before settling in Melbourne. His clinical interests are prehospital and retrieval medicine, trauma critical care, resuscitation, palliative care and bioethics
• Nick Roder: Nick Roder commenced paramedicine in 1991, progressing through to intensive care practice in 1996. In 2001 he joined Air Ambulance Victoria as a Flight Paramedic, undertaking aeromedical care of critical patients, along with search and rescue missions. A parallel career as an educator emerged, gaining a masters in education and exploring education in paramedicine domestically and internationally. Key interests in this field include trauma management, interhospital retrieval and the complexities of the respiratory patient. Nick is passionate about ‘safe-space’ learning, the fostering of a positive cultural environment and understanding the behaviours that support the technical skills.