Medaero - Romania - ICASM 2011

The 59th ICASM was held in Bucharest, Romania, in a beautiful venue provided by Radisson Blu Hotel, from 11th to 15th of September.

The technical assistance related to requirements and general hospitality of the venue were appreciated by delegates as very good.

The theme for the congress was “Roots in the past, wing for the future”, graphically supported by the picture of one of the most famous Romanian sculptures, “Bird in Space”, by Constantin Brancusi. The theme was chosen to show the strong historical roots of aviation medicine in Romania, roots that have allowed us to support strong scientific content for the congress, as well as very interesting technical tours.

The congress would have not be possible without the strong support of the International Academy of Aviation and Space Medicine and the Romanian Ministry Of National Defence.

We would also like to acknowledge the Romanian Civil Aeronautic Authority and The Romanian Air Traffic Services Administration for their important support in organizing the congress. The Romanian Medical College endorsed the program by granting 18 CME credits.

The scientific programme was organized in 10 oral presentation sessions and 3 poster sessions. Allard Lecture was counted separately, and the Ernsting Panel was considered as session I.

Technical tours were held on Wednesday, September 14th. The most desired and visited was The National Institute of Aerospace Medicine in Bucharest. Here, delegates were given a general introduction followed by a tour comprising the aerospace physiology training facility, composed of an altitude chamber, a hyperbaric chamber, a spatial disorientation demonstrator and trainer and a night vision lab. When visiting the different medical units, delegates were shown state of the art medical equipment including MRI, CT, Echography, Endoscopy, Clinical Laboratory, Operating room as well as a fully computerized psychological examination center.

Delegates interested in first hand military matters have been shown an airforce base, with a static aircraft display, a modern MEDEVAC helicopter and a IAR 330 PUMA simulator. Those interested in ATC visited the Romanian Air Traffic Services Administration’s modern facility.

There were 299 participants at this congress, 270 being fully registered and 29 having one or two days registration. Also, a number of 37 paying accompanying persons were registered. A number of delegates from 58 countries were present.

We, as organizers, appreciate that the 59th ICASM was a successful, and we dare to hope unforgettable, event. The event was organized during harsh economical background, which have been impacted heavy on foreign attendance, so we received a lesser number of participants that we planned for.