Welcome Message from the President

Dear Colleagues, I have a great pleasure to invite you on behalf of the Organizing Committee to participate in the 4th Joint Congress of Korean-Japanese Intensivists which will be held in Fukuoka, Japan on March 5, 2004. The ICU should be a think tank, where various specialists meet and discuss about the pathophysiology　and the treatments in seriously ill patients. These include stroke, head trauma, acute coronary syndrome, acute respiratory distress syndrome, acute renal failure, sepsis and so on, which cannot be solved by individual specialists. Their concerted efforts can warrant successful results in the critical disorders. We will have a symposium and lectures presented by speakers from Korea and Japan. The selected speakers will be provided registration and banquet fee, and accommodations. I hope we will share a clue to save patients. You will be able to join the 31st annual meeting of the Japanese Society of Intensive Care Medicine, where we invite guest speakers from U.S.A, France and Korea. Professor Michael M Todd, who is the chief editor of Anesthesiology, will present the lectures entitled “Personal Insights into Writing and Reading Scientific Manuscripts: 7 years and 10,000 manuscripts" and “Current Status of Therapeutic Hypothermia in Anesthesia and Critical Care". Professor Thomas Martin will present the lecture entitled “Acute Lung Injury: from Pathogenesis to Treatment". Professor John Mariny will speak about “Progress in the Management of Acute Respiratory Failure". Professor David W Clippen will present the lecture entitled “Medical Resources and End of Life Issues". Professor Laurent Brochard will speak about “Knowledge-based Systems for Automatic Ventilatory Management". Professor Younsuck Koh will present the lecture entitled “Antiinflammatory Effect of Inhaled Nitric Oxide on Acute Lung Injury". Fukuoka city, close to the Korean Peninsula, has a long history as a gateway to import Asian culture and has always been known for heartwarming hospitality. We have the Kanmon bridge, a suspension bridge between Fukuoka Prefecture and Yamaguchi Prefecture where is our university hospital. I wish this joint congress will be a suspension bridge between Korean and Japanese intensivists. Tsuyoshi Maekawa, M.D.,Ph.D. President The 4th Joint Congress of Korean-Japanese Intensivists