The Association of Anaesthesiologists and Intensivists of Malta (AAIM) held its international conference, themed ‘The High-Risk Patient: Anaesthesia, Intensive Care, and Pain Perspectives’, on February 21 and 22 at the Malta Marriott Resort & Spa, St Julian’s.
The event saw 200 delegates − ranging from local and international anaesthesiologists, trainees, anaesthetic and intensive care nurses and professionals interested in the subject matter − come together for two days of insightful discussions and knowledge sharing.
The conference programme included a rich line-up of sessions tailored to address the unique challenges of managing high-risk patient populations. Keynote lectures, plenary sessions and parallel sessions provided an in-depth look into the management of high-risk patients, covering topics such as intensive care, upper gastrointestinal and liver surgery, difficult airway, elderly frail patients, cardiac anaesthesia, paediatrics, pain management, morbid obesity, non-operating room anaesthesia and major vascular surgery.
Attendees also had the opportunity to attend seven pre-conference workshops during the morning of February 21, which covered topics such as simulation, echocardiography, ultrasound-guided regional anaesthesia, patient safety and non-technical skills and difficult airway management.
Esteemed local and international speakers led the discussions. These included Idit Matot, president elect of the European Society of Anaesthesiology and Intensive Care (ESAIC); Steffen Rex, president elect of the European Association of Cardiothoracic Anaesthesiologists (EACTA); Federico Bilotta, immediate past chair of the National Anaesthesiologists Societies Committee (NASC); Nuala Lucas, president of the Obstetric Anaesthetists’ Association, UK; Giacomo Bellani, head of the Anaesthesia and Intensive Care Unit at Santa Chiara Hospital in Trento, Italy; and Andrew Lockey, president elect of the European Resuscitation Council (ERC).
Also present was Health Minister Jo Etienne Abela, who presented a comprehensive overview of the local surgical perspectives of upper gastrointestinal and liver surgery, elucidating the importance of setting benchmarks and key performance indicators as well as performing research for evidence-based improvements.
The AAIM president and chairperson of the ESAIC National Anaesthesiologists Societies Committee (NASC), Anne Marie Camilleri Podestà, made particular emphasis on the preoperative liquid-fasting evidence.
The rest of the attendees included over 50 specialists from diverse fields: anaesthesiology, intensive care, pain medicine, surgery, medicine, radiology and nursing.
Among the topics discussed during the conference were innovations in assisted ventilation for acute respiratory failure; the application of AI in healthcare, where experts shared the latest advancements and potential applications in the realm of anaesthesia and critical care; and the importance of national reporting systems, patient safety and non-technical skills in the healthcare field. In addition, opportunities for research divulgation were offered as SuperSubmission and ePoster presentations.
The AAIM thanks the health minister as well as the Mater Dei Hospital medical administration for supporting the event. The association also thanks the World Federation of Societies of Anaesthesiologists (WFSA) and the ESAIC, which officially endorsed the conference, and platinum sponsors Charles De Giorgio Ltd, the Malta Tourism Authority (MTA) and the Malta Resuscitation Council. Also supporting the event were Drugsales Ltd, Medina Healthcare Ltd, St James Hospital Malta, Associated Equipment Ltd, Cherubino Ltd, Menarini and Vathin Medical.