The seventeenth annual Akutně Conference attracted more than twelve hundred participants.
A full auditorium, busy teaching rooms across the pavilions and, at times, nearly impassable corridors – the seventeenth edition of the Akutně Conference once again offered a rich programme and drew high interest. Out of almost fifteen hundred registered participants, 1,202 attended in person at the Faculty of Medicine of Masaryk University, the traditional venue of the event, while others joined online.
“We aimed to emphasise that this year the revised European Resuscitation Council guidelines were presented,” says Professor Petr Štourač, under whose leadership the conference is held each year. One of the key contributors was his colleague from the MU Department of Simulation Medicine, Dr Jana Djakow, Chair of the Czech Resuscitation Council, who is responsible for the section on paediatric resuscitation in the internationally valid ERC guidelines and presented it during the programme. “Her contribution represents a major success for the entire Czech Republic.”
Another significant figure this year was Professor Tomáš Drábek, son of the late “first lady of Czech intensive care medicine”, Associate Professor Jarmila Drábková, who passed away last year. “She left behind an immense legacy and I dare say she was a supporter of Akutně. Her son is, of course, also a major icon of the field, and we are very pleased that he accepted our invitation,” adds Professor Štourač. Professor Drábek moved many by not only attending but also by bringing an unexpected gift from Pittsburgh, where he currently works: he donated a historic resuscitation mannequin model to the Brno Simulation Centre.
A novelty of this year’s programme was a Resuscitation Symposium, held one day before the main conference, which welcomed 400 participants onsite and another 200 online. According to Štourač, there was – as always – huge interest in the nursing section and in hands-on workshops focused on life-saving procedures. “Of course, we follow current trends, so some workshops offered the opportunity to try new technologies, including virtual reality or artificial intelligence,” he adds.
It is still too early to anticipate the details of next year’s event, during which Akutně will reach “adulthood”, but the date is already set: 21 November 2026. What is certain is that, as always, it will offer an inspiring space for sharing experience across professions and generations.
A detailed online report from the event is available at Akutně.cz.
Members of the Scientific Board of the Masaryk University Faculty of Medicine met for their final session of the year at the Simulation Centre. The key agenda items included the discussion of three habilitation procedures and a proposal to award an honorary doctorate to the dean of a prestigious American medical school.
Volunteers from IFMSA CZ Brno transformed the Brno shopping center Olympia into an improvised clinic over the weekend of November 15-16. On the occasion of World Diabetes Day, they offered passers-by a moment to pause, free examinations, and important education on preventing lifestyle diseases.
