DEAR COLLEAGUES,

First of all, I would like, on behalf of the Executive Committee, to express our gratitude to all of you during this very difficult time – working so hard, every day, to save lives – and to your families who are having to support you.   

We are in this together!  Do remember that no-one in the ICU is working alone.  Difficult decisions – life or death ones, and those made at the bedside – should be shared.  Your physical and mental well-being and that of your colleagues must not be neglected.  Any psychological support offered by your hospital can and should be used to help you through the months ahead. 
 
ESICM has, since the beginning of the outbreak, been supporting our members – providing up-to-date  online resources, fast-tracking the publication of scientific articles about the virus, and holding a series of webinars presented by leading experts from all over the world.

The recordings of all these webinars are available on our COVID-19 web page.  If you have not yet had the opportunity to watch them, I would invite you to do so and to save the date of a very special live COVID-19 Marathon Webinar, which ESICM is organising on Saturday 28 March, from 1400-2100 hrs CET.  This Marathon Webinar will cross the world and feature back-to-back presentations, discussions and interviews with experts, who will share with us their experiences and recommendations.

We will also include a discussion with some of the authors of the Surviving Sepsis Campaign Rapid Guidelines on the Management of Critically Ill Adult Patients with Coronavirus Disease 2019, which were published on Friday 20 March in the ICM journal.  

Since so many of our members currently have less time to focus on their research, we have decided to postpone the deadline for applications for the 2020 ESICM Research Awards to 20 April.

Our Spring Elections have also been postponed until September, since we feel that now is not the time to organise these. 

We are continuing to drive the Society’s regular, daily activities, but our focus on the current pandemic is naturally our primary concern.  

As all our efforts must be to save lives, stay safe, and to stand united, I send you all my support and sincere respect for what we are facing now, and in the months to come.

Please take good care of yourselves and your loved ones.

Jozef Kesecioglu, ESICM President