The annual international scientific assembly of the American College of Chest Physicians (ACCP) will host 500 national and international experts and up-and-coming investigators as they present more than 800 cutting-edge research abstracts and case reports. Thousands of medical professionals will be on hand to attend more than 150 original scientific sessions, honor lectures, educational, and satellite symposia, covering a broad range of subspecialty topics, including sleep medicine, pediatric pulmonology, disaster medicine, pulmonary vascular disease, lung cancer, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), cardiology, and critical care.

"CHEST 2004 is an exciting time for health-care professionals, for it provides a comprehensive look at the year's most significant developments in the field of chest medicine, as well as a prelude to new investigations that promise considerable changes in the future of medicine," said John Heffner, MD, FCCP, Program Chair, CHEST 2004.

Attendees also will have the option of attending 17 one-day, in-depth educational postgraduate sessions on a variety of topics, such as critical care, sleep and disaster medicine, and mechanical ventilation. Other special events and program highlights for clinical and research topics include: