Euroanaesthesia 2025: Driving Innovation in Healthcare

Euroanaesthesia is a focus for promoting, reviewing and teaching the latest innovative practices in anaesthesiology, intensive care, perioperative, pain and critical emergency medicine

As we approach the last months of winter, we can look forward to the turn of the season and the coming light of spring. We can also look forward to the warmth of gathering, at the peak of this beautiful season, in one of Europe’s many stunning cities to meet with colleagues, learn from experts and share pioneering knowledge and experience. Euroanaesthesia 2025 is on the horizon.

Euroanaesthesia 2025 (#EA25) will take place in Lisbon, Portugal, hosted in the internationally recognised Lisboa Congress Centre, CCL from the 25th to 27th May 2025. CCL is the largest Congress Centre in Portugal, located in the historical and charming area of Belém, next to the Tagus River, with a beautiful view of promenade and the 25th April bridge. The delights of the city centre are just a short distance away. The city’s fascinating history is coloured by the numerous civilisations that have influenced it. This is reflected in the stunning architecture and mouth-watering cuisine. In 2024 Lisbon was crowned Europe’s Best Culinary Destination. In May, the city will be in full bloom with a comfortable temperature, the perfect antidote to winter blues.

Euroanaesthesia has earned its reputation as one of the most highly respected annual congresses for anaesthesiologists and intensivists from all over the world. We take the time to celebrate the latest innovation and research from our international community. Our multidisciplinary scientific programme features practical insights and highlights future trends in anaesthesiology, intensive care, perioperative, pain and critical emergency medicine. Euroanaesthesia provides a platform to enhance knowledge, review and share innovative techniques, promote the latest guidelines, and communicate, collaborate, and network with our large international audience. It is a valuable opportunity for in-depth scientific exchange during sessions of various formats, ranging from panel discussions to pro-con debates and 10-min-to-convince sessions.

Opening Lectures

ESAIC maintains its commitment to excellence by advancing our field through pioneering ideas and collaboration. This ethos is central to this year’s core theme: driving innovation in Anaesthesiology, Intensive Care, and Pain Medicine. This theme is reflected in the opening lectures.

We will start the congress with the traditional Sir Robert Macintosh Lecture. Our key speaker will be Prof. Kate Leslie (Melbourne, Australia): Anaesthesia in 2050: How emerging technologies will transform our practice? In this keynote lecture Prof. Leslie will explore how A.I and quantum computing will change your practice and the care of patients.

This will be followed by the Prof. Ibsen Lecture by Prof. Andre Dekker (Maastricht, The Netherlands): Artificial Intelligence (AI) for better healthcare. Prof. Dekker will cover the complexities of integrating A.I into healthcare, exploring barriers and benefits of this rapidly emerging technology.

These lectures are an opportunity to honour professionals who offer outstanding contributions to their field and to highlight the importance of their work in the medical community.

What’s New for 2025

Our Scientific Committee has worked hard to make sure we are showcasing the latest innovative practices in medical education.

We have a full programme of problem-based learning (PBL) discussions. PBL discussions are an interactive learning experience designed to deepen a learners’ expertise through exploring solutions to real-world scenarios from clinical practice. This format places the learner in the driving seat. Real-life scenarios form the basis for a journey of problem solving, with the attendees leading the journey through the maze of options. The faculty help guide the discussions and provide real-time feedback where necessary. This process of self-directed learning empowers the participants to engage in creative solutions, work as a team, communicate and expand critical thinking and refine analysis. Attendance is limited as these discussions will be held in small groups. Make sure you book your place early.

We are also offering new Serious Games in anaesthesia and intensive care promoting interactive gaming to develop skills in teamwork, communication, leadership and crisis resource management. This form of collaborative learning has been so popular we are also providing a train the trainer session to learn how to design and implement serious games as part of an educational toolkit. Attendees can now bring this valuable resource back to their departments or teams. Seats for Serious Games go quickly, so pre-register early to secure your spot. No prior experience with gaming or simulation needed to receive the benefits of these sessions.

We are expanding our hands-on workshop programme with a spine ultrasound procedural workshop. This workshop will provide insights into spinal medicine and algology, which is increasingly recognised as a multidisciplinary field that benefits from collaboration between anaesthetists and spinal surgeons, focusing on minimally invasive pain treatment to preserve the patient’s long-term abilities.

VR is now a fully established technology and research into using VR in the perioperative pathway has yielded fascinating results. Now VR is being studied for its use in patient education, medical education, clinical visualisation, reduction in pre-operative anxiety and mitigation of pain when it is used as a distraction during surgery. These emerging trends are the focus of our newest hands-on workshops, including Virtual Reality (VR) applications in perioperative care.

Euroanaesthesia has set a high bar for quality and successes from previous events return in 2025.

This year we have set a record for the number of abstracts that will showcase at the congress. Abstracts have proven to be very popular and are a great way to boost the communication of new research topics and for colleagues to gain vital experience in presenting to their peers.

Once again, we will run the highly popular Simulation Lab. Simulation-based learning offers an immersive experience in interacting with clearly defined medical scenarios in real-time. This year we offer 10 high-fidelity simulation sessions allowing attendees to tackle complex clinical scenarios using advanced patient-simulators. The learning cycle is completed with debriefing sessions with experienced simulation faculty who help participants to cement the learning from their experiences. Attendance for simulation workshops is limited and requires pre-registration, available only to those attending the congress in-person. However, even without workshop registration, all congress attendees are welcome to observe the Sim Lab in its open-view setting.

The value of hands-on learning is reflected in the programme with 18 procedural workshops using state-of-the-art part-task trainers. There will be a strong focus on ultrasound techniques for regional anaesthesia along with a key selection of other vital procedures. Small-group, hands-on workshops offer participants a chance to learn, practice, and refine skills in a highly interactive and collaborative environment supervised by experts.

Innovation Village was so successful last year that we have brought it back for EA25. The Innovation Village is a space where ESAIC and Industry Partners can connect, present and discuss healthcare opportunities and challenges generated by innovation. This year, the focus will be on three key areas of discussion: Sustainability, Innovation in AI, and Value-based Healthcare.

The ESAIC Expo promotes the work of ESAIC committees. The location and design of the Expo brings intimacy and facilitates discussions, as ESAIC committees highlight their important work and progress.

There will be multiple opportunities to network and share with colleagues and industry partners. Key areas of the congress are designed to bring people together. We will host our Networking Evening in one of the city’s landmarks. This is a much-favoured part of our annual event, which allows colleagues to meet, relax and enjoy local specialties.

Virtual delegates will have access to live-streamed scientific sessions and on-demand recordings will be available shortly after they are aired. They can also view live-streamed Industry Sessions and their on-demand recordings. Full guidance for virtual delegates is available on our Euroanaesthesia website.

Finally, the key element of a successful Euroanaesthesia is YOU. We could not do this without the enthusiasm and dedication of our members. This is a time to celebrate what we can create together. Come and join us in Lisbon and help make this a congress to remember.