CAPE mission

The goal of CAPE (Critical Care, Anesthesiology, Peri-operative and Emergency Medicine) is to study and develop novel approaches to provide superior care for vulnerable patients.

For poorly understood reasons vulnerable patients (such as the very young and the elderly) have marked susceptibility to pathological conditions (such as infection, trauma and cancer) and to the adverse consequences of the process, which are required to manage these problems. To optimize the possibilities of ‘Healthy Ageing’ in these vulnerable groups, much further research is required. Our desire is to focus on restoration and maintenance of vital homeostatic functions by studying the pathophysiology underlying life threatening events and the consequences of pharmacological and other interventions during emergency care, surgical procedures and critical care. This requires a multi-system approach, since aging, disease, drugs and surgery appear to result in interacting (and mutually amplifying) impairments in the function of the cardiovascular (heart, large and small vessels), respiratory, central and peripheral nervous, renal, endocrine and immune systems.

CAPE members have clinical interactions with a large proportion of all the patients treated at the UMCG. The departments of emergency medicine (“CSO” and “MMT”), anesthesiology and pain management, Operating room organization (“OZO” and “ODBC”), critical care and the planned acute care department are relevant clinical partners for CAPE. To promote translational science we plan to nurture existing links with research groups in vascular medicine, neuroscience, pain medicine, medical microbiology, pharmacology and pharmaceutical science (Figure 1). Essential national and international collaborations are also in place.