5 minutes with Luigi Camporota

Please tell us about your career journey up to this point. What drew you to intensive care medicine?

I finished my medical degree in Italy, and I moved to the UK to do a PhD in airway biology (asthma immunology). When I finished my PhD, I was still professionally very junior and I had to complete my senior house officer rotation – which I completed in Oxford, and then moved to London to gain some experience in ICU before starting my specialist training. I had been thinking about a career in ICU before, but never seriously until I worked at St Thomas’ ICU as a senior house officer in critical care. It was for me a fantastic and eye-opening experience. Lots of daily challenges: ICU is an overlap between physiology, technology, the human experience of caring for very sick patients, and the interaction with a huge number of highly talented people. I was also mesmerised by incredibly knowledgeable and charismatic people who have become mentors and lifelong friends. So, my attraction to ICU was due to a mix between the science of ICU, the challenges of patients with multiple pathologies, and the people I met.

How has your work/life changed due to the COVID-19 pandemic?

The COVID-19 pandemic has changed radically the way everyone leads their life. Mine has probably changed less than many others: I still maintained the rhythm of going to work, seeing my colleagues and patients (…in full PPE). Although the pattern of work was less predictable and much more intense, this was shared with many people, with a great sense of camaraderie and collaboration.

What do you hope to achieve next? What do you think the major challenges and opportunities are in your field?

I would like to further develop protocols and clinical trials on modalities of ventilation in acute respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS), and ways to ventilate patients who require extracorporeal membrane oxygenation (ECMO). In mechanical ventilation we need to find ways to minimise the harmful effects of excessive ventilation and this will require a combination of research, education and putting in place systems that can ensure appropriate delivery of respiratory therapies 24/7.

What current research projects are you working on? How could the findings impact people’s lives?

My interest is now on the weaning phase of patients on ECMO (weaning modalities) with ways to accelerate that process so that length of stay on ECMO is minimised and patients can return to their families much sooner. Finally, I am becoming more interested in developing research on breathlessness and respiratory drive in ECMO in collaboration with researchers at King's. This is a really relevant issue and one of the most important and distressing symptoms reported by patients – particularly in those with severe lung failure.

What advice would you give to your 18-year-old self?

Love what you do, be curious about your work and studies, help the people you meet along the way, and be optimistic and cheerful!

Anything else you would like to add?

Only that I would like to thank all my mentors and every member of staff in the ICU for all the immense work, particularly in 2020.