Intensive Care has a new look! The 24th Congress of the Italian Society of Intensive Care Medicine will be held at Palazzo degli Affari from Thursday, November 17 to Saturday, November 19 2011. The congress will be chaired by Prof. Raffaele De Gaudio, professor of Anesthesiology and Intensive Care Medicine at the Florence University, with the participation of over 500 representatives.

 This year, the motto of the convention - “Con la Tecnologia, la Razionalizzazione e l’Umanizzazione” (Through Technology, Rationalisation and Humanisation) focuses on the three main objectives to be promoted and achieved by all intensive care units in the next few years:

 Many topics will be discussed through readings and various work sessions during the three days of the convention. Technological development will examine the most updated artificial ventilation techniques, as well as the extracorporeal life support techniques - from oxygenation up to hemofiltration and hemoperfusion.Problems related to humanisation will be discussed by analysing the role of psychology, communication and the relationships with seriously ill patients. To this extent, participants will discuss the opportunity to set up patient-friendly facilities, easily accessible and open 24 hours a day, so as to allow relatives to visit patients.

And last but not least, suitable protocols will be created to define and apply the rationalisation of resources in order to ensure the best treatments.