On behalf of the ILTS leadership, we would like to inform you that due to the continual spread of the Novel Coronavirus (COVID-19), the ILTS Council has taken the decision to cancel the 2020 ILTS Congress in Istanbul.

We feel a responsibility to our ILTS 2020 attendees and our primary concern is for the health and welfare of all our participants, as well as the wider community. We do know that many of our critical care physicians worldwide have been deployed to care for patients with COVID-19.

We believe it is our collective responsibility to minimize the risk of COVID-19 spreading further and to reduce the numbers of people travelling between countries at the present time.

We would like to inform you that we plan to hold the 2021 ILTS Congress in Istanbul, May 5-8, 2021. Please adjust your travel arrangements accordingly.

We will be in direct contact with registered attendees, abstract submitters, invited faculty and other stakeholders in the next 1-2 weeks to explain the next steps. There is no need to contact us. Thank you for your patience.

If you have any significant concerns, please feel free to contact Claus Niemann at president@ilts.org or send an email to the ILTS Secretariat at ilts@ilts.org at any time.

Best regards,

Claus Niemann, MD     Marina Berenguer, MD

ILTS President                Program-Chair, President-elect