European Society of Anaesthesiology and Intensive Care
The European Society of Anaesthesiology and Intensive Care (ESAIC) is a European professional association for anaesthetists. It also works in emergency care, intensive care, pain management, and perioperative medicine. Its headquarters are in Brussels, Belgium, and its activities cover Europe. The current president is Prof. Wolfgang Buhre, with Prof. Idit Matot as President-Elect. The website is esaic.org.
ESAIC was formed in 2005 by merging three older organisations: the European Academy of Anaesthesiology (dating from 1978), the European Society of Anaesthesiologists (established in 1992), and the Confederation of European National Societies of Anaesthesiology. The idea to merge these groups arose in 1998, and the leadership signed the amalgamation agreement on April 19, 2004, after each organisation approved it.
In 2020, the name was changed to European Society of Anaesthesiology and Intensive Care to reflect the expanded role in intensive care medicine, especially during the COVID-19 pandemic when anaesthesiologists played a key role in ICU care. The by-laws set out aims such as research in perioperative medicine, anaesthetic techniques and monitoring, intensive care, pain, patient safety and quality improvement, education and training, ethics and professionalism, and health services research.
ESAIC funds and coordinates research to improve patient care and develops evidence-based clinical guidelines for anaesthesia and intensive care. Its academic journal is the European Journal of Anaesthesiology and Intensive Care, published by Wolters Kluwer and open access. The society also publishes the European Journal of Pain Supplements, the ESA Newsletter, and the Patient Safety Newsletter.
Governance includes a Board of Directors, a Council, and the General Assembly. The Council is made up of representatives elected from Active Members in each European country, and the Board is elected by the Council. The General Assembly meets during the ESAIC’s European Anaesthesiology Congress. ESAIC collaborates with the European Union of Medical Specialists (UEMS) and the European Board of Anaesthesiology (EBA) to protect members’ interests and improve education. It continues activities from the European Academy of Anaesthesiology, such as the Examination for the European Diploma in Anaesthesiology and Intensive Care (EDAIC) and the Hospital Visiting Programme, following EBA guidelines.
The EDAIC exam is a two-part assessment of knowledge in basic sciences and clinical topics and is considered an end-of-training exam. It is endorsed by the EBA (UEMS) and CESMA. ESAIC organises the annual Euroanaesthesia congress, one of Europe’s largest gatherings for anaesthesiologists and intensive care specialists, attracting participants from more than 100 countries and featuring many exhibitors. Euroanaesthesia 2025 was held in Lisbon, Portugal.
This page was last edited on 2 February 2026, at 11:35 (CET).