On April 25 and 26, 2023, the Global Sepsis Alliance will host the 4th World Sepsis Congress, titled “One Global Health Threat: Sepsis, Pandemics, and Antimicrobial Resistance”. As always, the 4th WSC will be free of charge and completely virtual, enabling broad participation from all parts of the world.

Over the course of two days and 15 distinctive and highly relevant sessions, over 80 internationally-renowned speakers will share the newest research and insights into sepsis, pandemics, antimicrobial resistance, and – most importantly – how they are linked.

Just as with our previous World Sepsis Congresses in 2016, 2018, and 2021, and WSC Spotlights in 2017, 2020, and 2022, this free online congress brings together highly ranked representatives of international and national healthcare authorities, non-governmental organizations, policymakers, patients, patient advocacy groups, clinical scientists, researchers, and pioneers in healthcare improvement.

We will share more details on the program, speakers, and exact times in 2023 – stay tuned.

Today marks #GivingTuesday – after the shopping mania and crazy discounts of Black Friday and Cyber Monday, the idea is to give back to society and support a good cause this Tuesday and beyond.

But wait a minute, why not combine shopping and savings while supporting a good cause at the same time? You can now – save 13 % on everything in our WSD Online Shop with the discount code ‘FEELSGOODTOGIVE’, valid until Sunday, December 18 23:59 CET.

This is the perfect time to stock up on #WorldSepsisDay swag – can you really ever have enough stickers, pens, or balloons?

We are also accepting plain old donations, of course…

P.S.: You can also help by signing the World Sepsis Declaration, sending our video explaining sepsis to a friend, or by downloading and disseminating our resources raising awareness for sepsis.

We are looking for a

Team Assistant

to become our fifth team member. You will be working part-time (20h a week) at the World Sepsis Day Head Office at the Charité University Hospital in Berlin, Germany, and remotely.

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About Us

The Global Sepsis Alliance is a non-profit charity organization with the mission to provide global leadership to reduce the worldwide burden of sepsis. The GSA is the initiator of World Sepsis Day on September 13 and World Sepsis Congress, a series of free online congresses bringing knowledge about sepsis to all parts of the world, among other initiatives.

The GSA works closely with its over 100 member organizations, patient advocacy groups, professional societies, healthcare authorities, and governments to implement changes on how sepsis is prioritized, diagnosed, and treated all around the world, as laid out in the WHO Resolution on Sepsis.

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Tasks

• You assist the team as needs arise – drafting documents, scheduling meetings, making travel arrangements, bank transfers, and more

• You support individual projects and preparatory accounting

• You organize team events and think about new formats and concepts

• You are an active contributor to the team and make sure the team members find the

  best conditions to thrive

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Requirements

• You are a true organizational talent, proactive, and a person you can always rely on

• You have everything in view and keep a cool head even in stressful situations

• You can familiarize yourself with new tasks quickly and easily

• Excellent written and verbal communication skills in English (German helpful, but not mandatory)

• You like to work independently and don’t need constant instructions ‘from above’, but think proactively

• Experience in the field of office management, project management, in the event, hotel, or restaurant industry, or as an assistant is an advantage, but not a must. It is more important to us that you bring the right attitude and that you are an organized and positive person.

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We Offer

• A diversified, exciting challenge in a growing and purpose-driven organization

• Opportunity to help shape sustainable structures in this young non-profit organization with flat hierarchies

• Opportunity to involve yourself in global projects, possibility to increase hours or to be promoted to project manager in the future

• Modern IT infrastructure and the possibility to work from home

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If you can identify yourself with the above requirements, we look forward to receiving your application via the GSA website. We ensure absolute discretion.

We select candidates exclusively on the basis of their skills and qualifications. Should you nevertheless wish to apply anonymously – without your given name, picture, or gender – please feel free to expressively mention it in your candidature, omit your name and photo, and use an alias email address. Please make sure we have a proper way to contact you.

It is time to treat fluids as drugs

The International Fluid Academy Day – #IFAD2022 – is back in Brussels, Belgium on November 26, 2022.

The past 2.5 years have been challenging for all healthcare professionals. When conferences and meetings were moved online, it became apparent that the human contact of speaking to friends and colleagues face-to-face can never be replicated on any online platform.

With this in mind, and true to IFA’s spirit of innovation, this year’s event will be unlike any of the previous years. We will cover, discuss, dissect and collaborate on sepsis and all things fluids focused on the 4 phases of fluid management, hemodynamic monitoring, and the concept of fluid stewardship. A neglected topic for way too long, the interest in fluid therapy seems to be quickly rising as the medical community is making a shift from looking at fluids as a mere method of stabilization towards the appreciation of its relevant side effects.

Uniquely, lectern-based lectures will be limited. Instead, there will be panel discussions where all colleagues can ask questions and as well as examine in detail clinical practice and research findings.

Come join us in the IFAD lounge and share your thoughts, views, and opinions. We look forward to seeing you.

We will build again a repository with video lectures. Access to these lectures will remain available for premium delegates (3 months in Whova - 6 months via tablet or smartphone - 12 months via embedded agenda).

We are pleased to announce that this year's IFAD will be organized together with the 9th Emergency Medicine Symposium (BEMS), at the Erasmus Campus - Building W in Brussels (1070). This year's SympoMed theme is EMERGENCY MANAGEMENT OF SEPSIS AND RESPIRATORY DISTRESS. This congress will be held in English, French, and Dutch. The English track is dedicated to the IFAD.
We look forward to seeing you in Brussels on November 26 or virtually via the Repository App! The IFAD/BEMS meeting will be held in English, Dutch and French.

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Discount Codes and Registration

To register for onsite participation, please use the code BEMSIFAD35 for a 35% discount.

To participate in the live stream, use code ifad22gsa35 for a 35% discount, or code ifad22gsa100 to enter the daily free ticket raffle.

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Objectives

After participation in the 12th IFAD, delegates will learn the following:

• Fluids should be considered drugs that come with indications, contraindications, and potential adverse effects, they have a dose, rate, timing, etc…

• The 4 D’s of fluid therapy are important: Drug – Dose – Duration and De-escalation

• The 4 questions that need to be answered regarding fluid therapy: when to start fluids – when to stop fluids – when to start fluid removal – when to stop fluid removal

• The 4 phases of fluid therapy according to the ROSE concept: Resuscitation – Organ support – Stabilization – Evacuation

• The 4 indications for fluid therapy: Resuscitation – Maintenance – Replacement – Metabolic (nutrition)

• Different fluid types: Colloids (starches vs gelatins) vs Crystalloids vs Albumin vs Blood products and when to give and when not to give them

• Dangers of fluid overload/accumulation and its impact on organ function, morbidity, and mortality

• Fluid stewardship: how to implement

• Acid-base disturbances, the Stewart approach, and the strong ion difference

• Balanced vs unbalanced solutions

• Organ function monitoring in sepsis (cardiac output and beyond)

• Triggers, markers, and endpoints of successful resuscitation

• Fluids in specific populations: obese, heart failure, pediatrics, trauma, neurologic,

• Overview of the recent major trials in critical care: SPLIT, SALT, SMART, BASICS, PLUS

• Dangers of underfilling, hypovolemia, and hypoperfusion

Every year on 17 November we raise awareness of the challenges and the global burden of preterm birth on the occasion of World Prematurity Day. Initiated in 2008 by EFCNI and other European parent organizations and joined by the US organization March of Dimes, the African organization LittleBigSouls, and the Australian National Premmie Foundation in 2010, this day wants to honor the 15 million babies that are born preterm every year, worldwide. What started as a small initiative, has become a global movement. Today, individuals and organizations from across the world join forces with activities and events to draw attention to the topic of preterm birth and to eventually improve the situation of preterm babies and their families.

Each year, World Prematurity Day is dedicated to a global motto, which this year is: A parent’s embrace: a powerful therapy. Enable skin-to-skin contact from the moment of birth.

View fullsize

© EFCNI/GLANCE 2022

This motto is not only intended to emphasize the role of Infant and family-centered development care (IFCDC) in the neonatal intensive care unit (NICU). It also highlights methods such as skin-to-skin care and Kangaroo Care as powerful practices to promote the health outcomes of preterm and very low birth weight babies from the very beginning.
Compared to their term-born peers, babies born prematurely often have a weaker immune system and are more likely to receive intensive medical treatment, making them especially susceptible to sepsis. An infection can be transferred during invasive medical procedures such as intravenous lines or breathing support by a mechanical ventilator. IFCDC practices such as Kangaroo Care have been shown to reduce severe infections by 65% as they have a positive effect on the temperature regulation of the baby and support breathing, and weight gain.[1]

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[1] Conde-Agudelo A. Cochrane Database Syst Rev 8 (2016)

To kick off World Antimicrobial Awareness Week 2022, the WHO is hosting a free global webinar on infection prevention and control, titled ‘Back to the Future: Inspiring the Next Generation on Hand Hygiene’. Register now to participate virtually and for free this Friday, November 18, at 13:00h Central European Time.

Infection prevention and control (IPC) action is acknowledged as playing a prominent role in curbing emerging and ongoing threats in health-related activities ranging from water, sanitation, and hygiene and health worker and patient safety to preventing specific conditions, such as AMR and sepsis.

Outline

Infection prevention and control (IPC) is essential to prevent the spread of microorganisms both in the context of outbreaks and every day in settings where healthcare is delivered. IPC has a critical role in combating antimicrobial resistance (AMR), essentially through two means:

1. by stopping the spread of antimicrobial-resistant microorganisms, and

2. by reducing the frequency of infection and thus, the need for using antimicrobials which inevitably leads to the emergence of AMR.

Whether implemented as a stand-alone intervention or integrated into multifaceted interventions, hand hygiene has been highlighted as the most effective single measure for reducing the transmission of microorganisms and infection in healthcare settings.

This WHO global webinar will be held in the context of the World Antimicrobial Awareness Week 2022 and is aimed at highlighting the importance of hand hygiene to reduce infection and AMR in healthcare settings. It will also be an exceptional moment to celebrate the career of Professor Didier Pittet whose work and leadership have been revolutionary and paramount in hand hygiene improvement worldwide. Furthermore, other experts who contributed to the research, development, and implementation of innovative strategies for hand hygiene improvement will be part of a panel discussion.

Objectives

• To review innovative approaches that changed the history of hand hygiene promotion

• To understand the adaptation and adoption of evidence-based strategies for hand hygiene improvement worldwide

• To highlight the example of an exceptional global leader and inspire the next generation of leaders on hand hygiene

The webinar will be held in English, with simultaneous interpretation available in Arabic, Chinese, Spanish, Russian, and French.

We are thrilled to invite you to the free webinar ‘Learn About Sepsis and Save Lives in Africa’ on November 22, 2022, at 4 PM Central Africa Time.

The webinar is a collaboration between the World Continuing Education Alliance (WCEA) and the ASA and will feature the following speakers and presentations:

• Epidemiology of sepsis in Africa – presented by Evariste Mushuru, Rwanda

• Sepsis definition and diagnosis – presented by Romeo Bayode, Gabon

• Causes of sepsis in Africa – presented by Patrick Katoto, Democratic Republic of Congo

• Sepsis – initial management – presented by Appollinaire Manirafasha, Rwanda

• Sepsis management in ICU – presented by Kamal Osman, Sudan

• Sepsis improvement and management – the role of nurses – presented by Halima Salisu, Nigeria

The event will be moderated by our very own Emmanuel Nsutebu, Founder and Chair of the African Sepsis Alliance, and Board Member of the GSA.

How to Register

If you already have a WCEA Account:

1. Log into the WCEA App or LMS

2. Go to ‘Events’ on the Homepage

3. Register for the webinar and you will receive a Zoom invitation via email

For new users:

1. Go to https://wcea.education/register/

2. Find your organization and fill out the registration form. You will receive your username and password via email

3. Download the WCEA app or log into the LMS here: https://cpd.wcea.education

4. If your organization is outside our partners, please create your account from here: Join the Webinar Platform

Every November, Movember is celebrated all around the world, raising awareness for men’s health, especially focused on mental health, suicide prevention, as well as prostate and testicular cancer.

With the COVID Pandemic still not a thing of the past – significantly affecting the mental health of millions – the work of the Movember Foundation has never been more important – and they have never needed your support more.

Although sepsis does not primarily affect males – it strikes women and men about equally – we encourage you to join the noble cause of Movember this year, by growing a mo to save a bro, moving 60km, hosting a mo-ment, getting involved on social media, and more.