EDTNA ERCA Conference

The 1996 annual conference of the European Dialysis and Transplant Nurses Association and European Renal Care Association (EDTN/ERCA) was held in the RAI conference centre in Amsterdam from the 15 to 18 June. This year was special to the EDTNA/ERCA as they celebrated their silver jubilee. The conference was very well attended by members and speakers from all over the world. It proved to be a very informative and interesting conference keeping everybody up to date with the latest research and the most recent developments in the Dialysis field.

There were many different themes to the different sessions arranged over the four days of the conference on different clinical aspects, technical sessions, corporate sessions, etc. I t was not possible to attend all sessions. A brief discussion of some of the sessions is presented.

One of the sessions was devoted to the technician's business meeting. At this meeting technician members of the EDTNA/ERCA from various European countries made presentations on the renal technician associations from their countries. They introduced topics which they considered important such as making use of the internet to promote dissemination of information, need for improvements in water treatment and the Italian representative would like to see a degree course for dialysis technicians. The president of the National Association of Nephrology Technicians technologists (NANT) which is the American technician's association received a special invitation to make a presentation. He informed the meeting about their association and the fact that they have over 1100 members. They are holding a dialysis technician's conference in the USA between April 29th and May 1st 1997.

At another technical session six papers were presented on the following topics:

1. Automated on-line bicarbonate concentrate production: microbiological, chemical and economical benefits.
2. Water treatment for haemodialysis: not as safe as anticipated!
3. Volume controlled plasma exchange with a standard dialysis monitor in haemodiafiltration mode 4. "In situ" reuse of dialysers and bloodlines.
5. Ultrafiltration controller failing: a case report.
6. Dialysis in the operating room: The St. Pauls' experience.

All these presentations were very interesting but the most unusual was the presentation on Dialysis in the operating room. The speakers explained how hemodialysis is performed in conjunction with cardio-pulmonary bypass during open heart surgery. It is reported that the patients come off the cardio-pulmonary bypass machine in a more stable condition. This procedure is performed in St Pauls' hospital Vancouver Canada.

The clinical sessions were also interesting and informative. At one of these a paper was presented on low seroconversion for Hepatitis C virus (HCV) antibody achieved by universal precautions alone. This study was carried out in a hospital in Singapore where universal precautions is the solitary policy to control nosocomial spread of infections. The results show the effectiveness of this method.

There was also an industrial exhibition in conjunction with the conference with over 70 companies exhibiting their products. At the exhibition the companies displayed their most recent developments in technology on products varying from dialysers to hemodialysis machines.

In conclusion, this was an interesting and worthwhile meeting for people working in the hemodialysis and peritoneal dialysis fields, providing useful information and an open forum for people to meet and discuss various issues. The annual EDTNA/ERCA conference is worth a visit and anybody wishing to attend the 1997 conference should keep the 5th to 8th of July free. The 1997 conference is to be held in Prague.

John Mc Givney