The 13th World Congress of Anaesthesiologists (WCA) will be held at the Palais des Congrès de Paris, Paris, France, on April 17-20, 2004. This is a major event of the World Federation of Societies of Anaesthesiologists (WFSA) and occurs every four years. Previous world congresses were held in Montreal, Quebec, Canada, and Sydney, Australia, as well as the Ninth World Congress in Washington D.C. in May 1988, which was hosted by ASA. The meeting is an opportunity for anesthesiologists throughout the world to hear the latest updates in clinical practice, share research ideas and meet international colleagues. The French Society of Anesthesiologists has done an excellent job of organizing this important congress, the central theme of which is “Progress for All.” The official Web site for registration and information about the congress can be found at <www.wca2004.com>.

The parent organization of the event, WFSA, is comprised of anesthesiology societies from throughout the world. There are more than 100 national societies from within the five regional sections of WFSA: the Confederation of European National Societies of Anaesthesiology, the Confederation of Latin American Societies of Anesthesiology, the Asian and Australasian Regional Section of WFSA, the African Regional Section and the North American Section (ASA and the Canadian Anaesthesiologists’ Society). Anesthesiologists from member societies of all the regional sections will meet in Paris to enjoy the scientific and social programs, exhibits and the ambience of Paris. In addition, delegates from the national societies will participate in the two general assemblies, committee meetings and other WFSA political activities during the congress.

With the assistance of an international advisory committee, the French Scientific Committee has selected speakers from around the world for lectures, interactive workshops, focus sessions and opportunities to “meet the experts.” Presenters include clinicians, educators and scientists from the anesthesiology community as well as lawyers, ethicists and social scientists. The official language of the congress is English. All specialty areas and the entire spectrum of anesthetic practice are covered in the program. For example, there are sessions on awareness and perioperative cognitive dysfunction, monitoring organ function in the intensive care unit, teaching anesthesiology in developing countries, bioethics, patient safety, chronic pain management and veterinary anesthesiology. Workshops are planned on all subjects from regional anesthesia to capnography to resuscitation. The scientific abstracts will be presented during Scientific Communications sessions occurring throughout the week, giving scientists from the global community an opportunity to share research findings and discuss ideas. The French Scientific Committee urges investigators from ASA to submit abstracts!

A highlight of the WCA is the Harold Griffith Symposium to be presented Wednesday, April 21, from 11 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. The meeting, titled “The Future of Anaesthesiology,” will be chaired by WFSA President T.C.K. Brown, M.D. Presentations include “Pharmacology of Drugs” by Shigeho Morita, M.D., Tokyo, Japan; “Advances in Technology” by Ira J. Rampil, M.D., Stony Brook, New York; and “Optimisation of Management and Human Resources” by Jean Marty, M.D., Clichy, France. The symposium is always a highlight of each WCA and certainly promises to be so again.

There are some precongress and postcongress scientific meetings associated with the Paris event. An international obstetric anesthesia meeting, “Obstetric Anaesthesia Versailles 2004,” sponsored by the Club des Anesthésists de Réanimateurs en Obstétrique and the Obstetric Anaesthetists’ Association, will be held in Versailles, France, on April 16-17, 2004. The “Paediatric Anaesthesia WCA Postcongress” will be held in Bordeaux, France, on April 24, 2004. On April 16, 2004, the program “Mechanical Cardiac Assistance: Current Implications in Anaesthesia and Intensive Care” will be presented in Lyon, France. Finally, a Satellite World Congress of Ophthalmic Anaesthesia is planned for April 15-16, 2004, at the Royal College of Physicians in London. For more information on the above meetings, go to <www.wca2004.com/gb_preandpostcongress.html>.

The exhibit area of the 13th WCA will be open from Sunday, April 18, through Thursday, April 22, from 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. in the Palais des Congrès. With displays from around the world, this is an opportunity for attendees to see the latest developments from the pharmaceutical industry, manufacturers of equipment and technology, and various publishing houses. Social events begin with the opening ceremony on Sunday, April 18, at 6 p.m. A welcome cocktail party offering the best in French wine and cheese for all attendees will follow the opening ceremony. The official congress evening will be held at the Louvre Museum. This promises to be an exceptional evening for all registered delegates, especially organized for them with a private visit to the museum where cocktails will be served under the Pyramid. To provide a break from the meeting, tours and other activities have been organized for attendees and their guests, including a Paris city tour, a cruise on the Seine River and tour of the Eiffel Tower, a visit to the Picasso Museum, a course at a French cooking school and a visit to the Château de Malmaison. There will be full-day tours to Versailles and the Marmottan Museum and Giverny, plus precongress and postcongress tours to sites such as Normandy and Provence.

Registration is available at <www.wca2004.com>; early registration is available through September 15, 2003, and late registration begins January 15, 2004. The registration deadline for hotel accommodations is January 15, 2004.

WFSA’s objectives are to “make available the highest standards of anaesthesia, pain relief and resuscitation to all people of the world and to disseminate the same amongst them.” The WCA is a major undertaking designed to achieve these goals. The French society has worked diligently to make all anesthesiologists welcome by planning and providing excellent scientific programs, local arrangements, exhibit facilities and social programs. In our increasingly violent and dehumanizing world, the 13th WCA offers ASA members a unique opportunity to perhaps reverse current negative trends and to do something good by joining our colleagues in the quest to provide the highest standards in anesthesia care throughout the world.

John R. Moyers, M.D., is Professor, Department of Anesthesiology, University of Iowa College of Medicine, Iowa City, Iowa.