The American Association for Respiratory Care 2008 International Respiratory Congress had a big turnout and more than 230 exhibits. The show delivered a roster of traditional respiratory-related topics, a focused sleep section, and an effort to advance the National Board for Respiratory Care (NBRC) sleep specialty exam for RTs.

This year's event kicked off with the plenary session, which acknowledged military service personnel, veterans, emergency response RT heroes, exemplary manufacturers, and the AARC award recipients. Sam P. Giordano, MBA, RRT, FAARC, AARC executive director, extended the inspiration from those who were acknowledged to the crowd.

After the opening session, attendees waded into a packed show floor. "The highlight of the show has probably been seeing all of the new equipment and all of the new technologies that are coming out, and seeing friends that I haven't seen in 30 years," said Mark Strausbaugh, RRT, RPSGT, program director, Respiratory Care, Elizabethtown Community & Technical College, Elizabethtown, Ky.

While some attendees who were interested in sleep wanted additional sleep sessions so they could fulfill more continuing education requirements, most were very satisfied with the sleep lineup.

The 2009 AARC International Respiratory Congress will be held in San Antonio. More information about the 2009 conference is available at http://www.aarc.org/.