LIX National Congress of the SEMICYUC

Dear colleagues:

It is a pleasure to welcome you to the LIX Annual Congress of the Spanish Society of Intensive Care Medicine and Coronary Units (SEMICYUC), which is being held this year in Barcelona. Under the motto “Sustainable technology at the service of critically ill patients”, we hope to share with you the latest innovations in the field of intensive care, as well as discuss and reflect on the importance of an ecologically sustainable approach in medical care.

The mission of intensivists is to restore patients' health through the application of scientific knowledge and the use of technology that monitors and supports patients. This technology has evolved exponentially in recent years, allowing much more precise support and treatment for our patients. Furthermore, these devices have been universally digitized, facilitating their integration and access to physiological and treatment data: we have never had so much information. However, these advances generate new debates on cybersecurity, interoperability, algorithms and artificial intelligence that deserve to be debated.

One of the main challenges is sustainability and care for the environment. ICUs require a large amount of energy to keep equipment and systems running, which can increase greenhouse gas emissions. On the other hand, water consumption is high (water footprint), medical waste is a growing problem and its management can be improved, and there is a significant use of chemicals and hazardous materials. In summary, sustainability and environmental issues in ICUs are significant and require a comprehensive approach to minimize their impact.

Apart from these two aspects to which we want to draw your attention, at the Congress we will update the most recent scientific knowledge, seeking new, more experiential and participatory formats. In the surroundings of the city of Barcelona, ​​one of the European hubs of biomedicine and new technologies, you will be able to experience the opportunity to share a few days of knowledge with your colleagues and open the doors to future collaborations.

Sincerely,

Organizing Committee