The SNACC Board of Directors and Executive Committee are pleased to introduce our new affiliate, the Scientific Working Group for Neuroanesthesiology (WAKNA) of the German Society of Anaesthesiology and Intensive Care Medicine (DGAI).  WAKNA was founded in 1991 and is among the society’s most established and dynamic working groups. Since its inception, WAKNA has provided a vibrant forum for scientific collaboration and clinical advancement in neuroanesthesiology and neurocritical care.

As of January 2024, WAKNA is led by Prof. Dr. Berthold Drexler (Tübingen), PD Dr. Johannes Ehler (Jena), and PD Dr. Stefanie Pilge (Munich). The group’s mission is to improve perioperative and neurocritical outcomes through research, education, and evidence-based clinical practice. WAKNA’s research portfolio covers the full spectrum of perioperative brain health — from anesthetic mechanisms and EEG-based brain monitoring to perioperative neurocognitive disorders (including delirium), sepsis-associated encephalopathy, biomarkers, and acquired neuromuscular weakness. Further priorities include neuroprotection, neurotoxicity, traumatic brain injury, nociception, and perioperative stroke.

Furthermore, WAKNA actively contributes to national guideline development, postgraduate training, and multicenter research, including DGAI- and European Society of Anaesthesiology and Intensive Care-supported trials such as iPROMOTE, iHOPE, IMPACT, and ARCTIC-I. In 2025, WAKNA members were also involved in new German guidelines on spinal cord injury, subarachnoid hemorrhage, gas embolism, and delirium in older adults.

The annual WAKNA conference — most recently in Jena (see photo) –  brought together a large community of clinicians and researchers for an engaging exchange on current topics. In October 2025, SNACC formally approved WAKNA as an Affiliated Organization, recognizing its commitment to perioperative neuroscience, education, and international collaboration. Through this partnership, both societies aim to enhance the global exchange of expertise and foster joint scientific and educational initiatives in neuroanesthesiology and neurocritical care.

For more information, please visit www.wakna.dgai.de or follow @wakna_der_dgai on Instagram

Figure 1. Members of the annual WAKNA conference

Figure 2. WAKNA Leadership. Clockwise: Drs. Stefanie Pilge, Berthold Drexler and Johannes Ehler