44th ESAO and 7th IFAO Congress

Welcome

Dear members of our societies, dear colleagues and guests,

It is a great honor for us to invite you to the upcoming joint congress of the European Society for Artificial Organs (ESAO) and International Federation for Artificial Organs (IFAO).

This international and intercontinental meeting shall bring together researchers, developers and clinical specialists, which are involved in the development and application of artificial and bio-artificial organs. Our societies are engaged traditionally in the research and application of cardiovascular implants, blood purification devices, biomaterials and in biological organ repair and replacement. Additionally we want to emphasize this year also the functional stimulation of nerves and muscles and the development of intelligent limb prostheses. The motto of our congress “Artificial Organs in the Orchestra of Life” shall highlight that the creation and use of such organs is not only limited to scientific and medical questions. The progress in this field includes more and more aspects of “Quality of Life”, psychological, regulatory and economical aspects, ethics and user-friendliness in the viewpoint of different cultures and societies. Of course our meeting should provide for you also the experience of Vienna as a city of music and history. Within the congress we will have the opportunity to discover together this spirit and also some historical places and exhibitions.

We all have experienced the importance of worldwide knowledge exchange and complementary interaction between groups of different nations to obtain the ambitious therapies which our patients are urgently waiting for. This international and intercontinental networking has pushed us forward and is even more important in a world of growing borders and increasing conflicts and demarcations.

We are confident that our event will stimulate these important contacts and exchanges and cordially invite you to participate.

With best collegial regards,

Heinrich Schima - Congress President
Bernd Stegmayr - IFAO President
Thomas Groth - ESAO President