Siaarti congress on emergency medicine preparedness

The Italian Society of Anesthesia, Analgesia, Resuscitation and Intensive Care (Siaarti) convened a congress in Rome to address emergency medicine and critical care preparedness.

Initial discussions focused on large-scale disaster preparedness and the necessity of coordinated operational capacities between civilian and military structures. Siaarti President Elena Bignami noted that military healthcare is an “integral part of the Italian system,” emphasizing the importance of cooperation during international interventions and major emergencies.

Subsequent sessions shifted focus toward intra-hospital emergency response. Experts highlighted the need for uniform implementation of clinical deterioration monitoring systems across Italy. Concerns were raised regarding regional disparities and the inconsistent application of Medical Emergency Teams (MET) and Rapid Response Systems, with calls to bring intensive care expertise directly to the patient’s bedside to prevent full-scale emergencies.

During a congress held at the Cecchignola Military City, Bignami reiterated the importance of strengthening cooperation between medical professionals, military health services, and Civil Protection to improve response capacities.

Addressing hospital-level inconsistencies, Andrea Bruni, head of the Siaarti Critical Medicine and Intra-hospital Emergency Section, argued for bringing intensive care expertise directly to the patient's bedside to intervene before intensive care admission becomes necessary. He noted that while organizational models exist, their application remains uneven; for instance, data from the Policlinico di Milano indicated that METs were active in only approximately six out of ten hospitals, with significant regional disparities between Northern Italy and other areas.