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About

The ESAIC is dedicated to supporting professionals in anaesthesiology and intensive care by serving as the hub for development and dissemination of valuable educational, scientific, research, and networking resources.


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Congresses

The ESAIC hosts the Euroanaesthesia and Focus Meeting congresses that serve as platforms for cutting-edge science and innovation in the field. These events bring together experts, foster networking, and facilitate knowledge exchange in anaesthesiology, intensive care, pain management, and perioperative medicine. Euroanaesthesia is one of the world’s largest and most influential scientific congresses for anaesthesia professionals. Held annually throughout Europe, our congress is a contemporary event geared towards education, knowledge exchange and innovation in anaesthesia, intensive care, pain and perioperative medicine, as well as a platform for immense international visibility for scientific research.


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Professional Growth

The ESAIC's mission is to foster and provide exceptional training and educational opportunities. The ESAIC ensures the provision of robust and standardised examination and certification systems to support the professional development of anaesthesiologists and to ensure outstanding future doctors in the field of anaesthesiology and intensive care.


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Research

The ESAIC aims to advance patient outcomes and contribute to the progress of anaesthesiology and intensive care evidence-based practice through research. The ESAIC Clinical Trial Network (CTN), the Academic Contract Research Organisation (A-CRO), the Research Groups and Grants all contribute to the knowledge and clinical advances in the peri-operative setting.


Learn more about the ESAIC Clinical Trial Network (CTN) and the associated studies.

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EU Projects

The ESAIC is actively involved as a consortium member in numerous EU funded projects. Together with healthcare leaders and practitioners, the ESAIC's involvement as an EU project partner is another way that it is improving patient outcomes and ensuring the best care for every patient.


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Patient Safety

The ESAIC aims to promote the professional role of anaesthesiologists and intensive care physicians and enhance perioperative patient outcomes by focusing on quality of care and patient safety strategies. The Society is committed to implementing the Helsinki Declaration and leading patient safety projects.


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Sustainability

To ESAIC is committed to implementing the Glasgow Declaration and drive initiatives towards greater environmental sustainability across anaesthesiology and intensive care in Europe.


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Partnerships

The ESAIC works in collaboration with industry, national societies, and specialist societies to promote advancements in anaesthesia and intensive care. The Industry Partnership offers visibility and engagement opportunities for industry participants with ESAIC members, facilitating understanding of specific needs in anaesthesiology and in intensive care. This partnership provides resources for education and avenues for collaborative projects enhancing science, education, and patient safety. The Specialist Societies contribute to high-quality educational opportunities for European anaesthesiologists and intensivists, fostering discussion and sharing, while the National Societies, through NASC, maintain standards, promote events and courses, and facilitate connections. All partnerships collectively drive dialogue, learning, and growth in the anaesthesiology and intensive care sector.


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Guidelines

Guidelines play a crucial role in delivering evidence-based recommendations to healthcare professionals. Within the fields of anaesthesia and intensive care, guidelines are instrumental in standardizing clinical practices and enhancing patient outcomes. For many years, the ESAIC has served as a pivotal platform for facilitating continuous advancements, improving care standards and harmonising clinical management practices across Europe.


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Publications

With over 40 years of publication history, the EJA (European Journal of Anaesthesiology) has established itself as a highly respected and influential journal in its field. It covers a wide range of topics related to anaesthesiology and intensive care medicine, including perioperative medicine, pain management, critical care, resuscitation, and patient safety.


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Membership

Becoming a member of ESAIC implies becoming a part of a vibrant community of nearly 8,000 professionals who exchange best practices and stay updated on the latest developments in anaesthesiology, intensive care and perioperative medicine. ESAIC membership equips you with the tools and resources necessary to enhance your daily professional routine, nurture your career growth, and play an active role in advancing anaesthesiology, intensive care and perioperative medicine.


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ESAIC News

Expanding Horizons: My Journey at Hospital del Mar

Almost three years of waiting for a three-month internship – worth it! The pandemic and long-winded administration process in the Spanish Ministry of Health made me almost lose hope in attending the traineeship the ESAIC TEP committee granted me in 2020/21. But it all worked out at the last minute, and I got to go to “Hospital del Mar” in Barcelona to work in the Anaesthesiology department. On my arrival, they all asked me what I was coming for and what I was most interested in learning. I was so curious about every subspecialty that I didn’t want to name only one. My mentor, Jesús, put a lot of time and effort into creating a rotation schedule for me where I would be able to work with several specialists in every area. And I should be amazed at how much I learned from every one of them. Since I had just completed my training in Germany, I expected to be comfortable with Anaesthesiology’s main procedures and processes. Still, on my first day, I felt like a first-year resident again: Everything (ventilators, masks, tubes, glide scopes, syringe pumps, drug selection, ..) was different from what I had known and worked with before. In Germany, I used to work with a nurse specialised in Anaesthesiology; in Spain, there are some of them, but mostly, as an Anaesthesiologist, you work with OR assistance staff. They also have broad knowledge concerning surgical topics but are not specialised in Anaesthesiology. I liked how we would all work together as a medical team caring for the patient, but I also missed the specialised team setup I knew from back home, especially in more delicate situations. Nevertheless, it was a perfect way to improve my crew resource management in new circumstances. Whereas in Germany, I was used to working individually and being supervised by some experienced specialists, the residents at “Hospital del Mar” are educated one by one. This model of training allows very individual teaching and assistance. It creates a safe space for the resident to ask about doubts, make mistakes and learn individually from a role model while focusing on personal abilities and deficits. Especially for young residents, this seems to be a well-guided and safe way to start their careers. As mentioned, instead of long-term personal one-on-one teaching, I was used to working according to standard operating procedures (SOP) and being supervised by a more experienced colleague in my home clinic. At first, I missed these trusted guidelines, but in some cases, they also seemed to be rigid protocols that did not fit the needs and did not provide the best option for more complex patients. During my stay, I learned that the lack of relatively strict protocols can lead to a more liberal but also more individualised anaesthesia. My Spanish colleagues taught me to screen more accurately for a patient’s needs and helped me individualise pre-, intra- and postoperative care. Especially concerning analgesia, they showed me how to optimise the patient’s comfort, using “multimodal” intravenous analgesia in general surgery and employing perineural procedures in trauma patients. I had no experience using ketamine, dexmedetomidine, lidocaine and magnesium sulfate as a “multimodal anaesthesia”, nor did I perform erector spine or lumbar paravertebral blocks before. Under very supportive guidance, I learned these procedures and, in the end, could perform them independently. I want to introduce these abilities in my daily practice and promote them as an additional option in analgesic therapy in my home clinic. I have worked in a postoperative intermediate care unit for the last few weeks. Though the cases were similar to what I know from Germany, some working principles still differ. Whereas as a resident in Germany, depending on my shift, I was used to either conceptually conducting or performing practical interventions on a ward with around 10 to 12 patients, at “Hospital del Mar”, a resident would work closely together with a supervisor taking care of only a few patients, conceptually and interventionally. This allows us to look deeper into complex patient histories, learn in detail about pathologies and apply adequate therapy concepts. In daily (inter-)professional reunions, every case is presented and evaluated within the team. I enjoyed our vivid discussions, always supporting one another by giving advice and offering assistance. I profited a lot from the knowledge and experience I got to share, and I plan to keep this philosophy of teamwork, especially taking care of complex and critical patients. After such a long time of uncertainty, I am so happy and thankful that I got the great opportunity to learn from the awesome team of anaesthesiologists at “Hospital del Mar” in Barcelona. From the first day, I was welcomed as part of the team and invited to participate actively in every field. I don’t take this for granted. I want to thank my mentor, Jesús Carazo, who made this traineeship a very educational part of my career, shaping my future and an awesome personal experience. I also thank the ESAIC committee for supporting me even years after my initial application. I hope this programme will offer many more young anaesthesiologists the opportunity to widen their horizon and improve the professional exchange of knowledge and experience to improve our patient’s care.

Author

  • Kristine Nolting (MD) – HOSPITAL DEL MAR 2023

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