Abstracts and Case Reports

Abstracts and Case Reports

Make your contribution to the advancement of critical care.

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Abstract and case report submission for the 2026 Critical Care Congress is now closed. The submission period for the 2027 Critical Care Congress will begin in Spring 2026.

Why should you submit your abstract or case report?

  • Advance your career. Have your work published in Critical Care Medicine, the #1 critical care subspecialty journal.
  • Expand your reach. Present your research, receive feedback, and collaborate with a large and diverse global audience.
  • Impact critical care. Share your work to increase the knowledge of critical care professionals and improve patient care.
  • Be recognized. Numerous awards are available. Add to your resume and stand out.
  • Attend Congress for free.* First authors of abstracts who are SCCM members and non-full physicians at the time of submission may be eligible for complimentary Congress registration. 

SCCM members enjoy complimentary abstract and case report submission for the Critical Care Congress. Join Today 

*Complimentary registration will be offered only to the individual listed as the first author of the accepted abstract. This individual must be an SCCM Sponsored Trainee or SCCM healthcare professional member (Select, Professional, or Associate level; professions such as nurse, nurse practitioner, advanced practice provider, pharmacist, physician assistant, and respiratory therapist). Post-training attending physicians, SCCM nonmembers, and authors submitting case reports are ineligible. To be eligible for complimentary registration, the individual must have been an SCCM member before abstract submission closes, and their membership must be active through Congress.
General Information for 2026 Congress Submissions

Important Reminders About Your Submission

  • All abstracts and case reports must be in English.
  • First authors who are enrolled in an SCCM Sponsored Trainee program are required to submit their program director’s contact information:
    • Program director name
    • Program type
    • Program institution
    • Program director email address
  • An ethics and AI task that includes mandatory ethics and AI statements for abstract and case report submitters must be completed on behalf of all authors associated with the submission.

Eligibility Requirements 

  • Abstracts, case reports, and/or data previously presented or published nationally or internationally are not allowed.
  • Abstracts and case reports presented at an SCCM chapter meeting are allowed.
  • Abstracts and case reports may contain new research on a topic presented previously.
  • Submission of an abstract or case report constitutes a commitment by the author(s) to present the abstract or case report as accepted at Congress.
  • Stimulating and unique abstracts or case reports will be considered for the 2026 Congress program.

Review Process

Alterations and Withdrawals

Accepted abstracts and case reports will be published as submitted in the March supplement to the journal Critical Care Medicine. SCCM does not edit or proofread abstracts or case reports. By saving each task you complete during the submission process, you can log off and return to continue your work at another time. You can edit and revise your abstract or case report online as much as you wish until the submission deadline. Once the abstract or case report is formally submitted and the submission system is closed, corrections can no longer be made. No edits or corrections will be made once the journal supplement is published.

Submissions may be withdrawn until 12:00 noon Central Time on October 9, 2025. All withdrawals must be submitted here.

Acceptance

The submitter, along with all authors on the abstract or case report, will be notified via email of the submission’s acceptance or rejection in October 2025. Please ensure that the first author’s email address is included with the submission. All further notifications and correspondence will be directed solely to the first author. It is the responsibility of the submitter to confirm that all author email addresses are current at the time of submission to ensure that any notifications sent by SCCM are received. All decisions made by the Congress Program Committee are final.

Complimentary Congress Registration

Complimentary registration will be offered only to the individual listed as the first author of the accepted abstract. This individual must be an SCCM Sponsored Trainee or SCCM healthcare professional member (Select, Professional, or Associate level; professions such as nurse, nurse practitioner, advanced practice provider, pharmacist, physician assistant, and respiratory therapist). Post-training attending physicians, SCCM nonmembers, and authors submitting case reports are ineligible. To be eligible for complimentary registration, the individual must have been an SCCM member before August 6, 2025, and their membership must be active through Congress (March 24, 2026). If you are not currently a member and would like to become eligible for complimentary registration, join SCCM online no later than 11:59 p.m. Central Time on Tuesday, August 5, 2025. Complimentary registration decisions will be communicated in December 2025.

Expenses

  • Nonmembers are required to pay a $45 nonrefundable submission fee per abstract or case report submission.
  • Expenses associated with abstract or case report preparation, submission, and presentation are the responsibility of the presenter(s)/author(s).
  • Authors of accepted abstracts and case reports are expected to register for Congress and pay the registration fee, unless they apply for, and qualify for, complimentary registration.

 Important Dates

  • May 1, 2025: Submission period opens
  • August 6, 2025: Submission period closes at 11:59 p.m. Central Time
  • Summer 2025: Congress registration opens
  • October 2025: Notification of submission acceptance sent electronically to first author
  • November 2025: Notification sent to award recipients and those eligible for registration discounts
  • March 2026: Online abstract and case report supplement published in Critical Care Medicine
  • March 22-24, 2026: Critical Care Congress at the McCormick Place® West Building in Chicago, Illinois, USA
Awards for 2026 Congress Submissions

Nomination-Based Awards
On acceptance, your abstract or case report may be considered for an award. Abstract- and case-report-based awards are given to the first author of the abstract or case report. All authors of an abstract or case report will be notified if their submission receives an award. For more information, contact SCCM Customer Service.
 
Star Research Award Recipients
The top-scoring abstracts are selected for Star Research Presentations in Connections Central (Exhibit Hall). From these abstracts, the In-Training and Early-Stage Researcher awards are given. These awards require an application. Applications are available online within the abstract submission system. Recipients of the In-Training and Early-Stage Researcher awards receive $2,500 and a personalized commemorative plaque.

Early-Stage Researcher Award: Criteria

  • Applicant must have completed a training program at least 18 months (but not more than three years) before February 2026.
  • Applicant must complete the application and upload a verification letter on official letterhead signed by a program director by August 6, 2025. Please include the abstract title.

In-Training Award: Criteria

  • Applicant must be in a critical care training program or have ended training not more than one year before Congress.
  • Applicant must complete the application and upload a verification letter on official letterhead signed by a program director by August 6, 2025. Please include the abstract title.

From the remaining abstracts, the following awards are given:

  • Gold Medal Award: This is awarded to the applicant with the highest abstract score of the remaining submissions. Only one Gold Medal Award is given per year. The awardee receives $2,000 and a commemorative plaque and should consider submitting the manuscript for publication in Critical Care Medicine.
  • Silver Medal Award: This is awarded to the applicant with the second-highest abstract score of the remaining submissions. Only one Silver Medal Award is given per year. The awardee receives $1,000 and a commemorative plaque and should consider submitting the manuscript for publication in Critical Care Medicine.
  • Bronze Medal Award: This is awarded to the applicant with the third-highest abstract score of the remaining submissions. Only one Bronze Medal Award is given per year. The awardee receives $500 and a commemorative plaque and should consider submitting the manuscript for publication in Critical Care Medicine.
  • The recipients of the Gold, Silver, and Bronze Medal Awards are not eligible to receive the Early-Stage Researcher or In-Training awards.
  • The remaining submitters in this category receive a Star Research Award certificate of achievement and $100.

Research Snapshot Awards
Authors of abstracts that were not accepted for Star Research Presentations make short presentations facilitated by a moderator in the Research Snapshot Theaters in Connections Central (Exhibit Hall). Additionally, the abstracts with the top 30 scores in this category receive the following awards:

  • Gold Snapshot Award: This is awarded to 10 people per year with the highest-ranking abstracts in this category. The awardee receives a certificate.
  • Silver Snapshot Award: This is awarded to 10 people per year with the highest-ranking abstracts in this category. The awardee receives a certificate.
  • Bronze Snapshot Award: This is awarded to 10 people per year with the highest-ranking abstracts in this category. The awardee receives a certificate.

Case Report Snapshot Awards
Authors of accepted case reports make short presentations facilitated by a moderator in the Research Snapshot Theaters located in Connections Central (Exhibit Hall). Additionally, the top three case reports receive the following awards:

  • One First-Place Award certificate
  • One Second-Place Award certificate
  • One Third-Place Award certificate

Hector R. Wong Award for Precision Medicine in Sepsis
First authors of abstracts submitted in the precision medicine in sepsis category who are SCCM members will be considered for this award. The award recipient will be recognized during the Abstracts Award Presentation at Congress and will receive a plaque and $1000.

Congress Scholarships
SCCM specialty sections offer a $500 scholarship for a section member. The application is completed during the submission process. The applicant must:

  • Be an SCCM member
  • Be a member of the section to which the applicant is applying
  • Be an early career investigator
  • Attend Congress 2026
  • Be the first and presenting author of an accepted abstract
  • If multiple recipients; should be multidisciplinary

Additionally, the research should:

  • Support emerging science in the applicant’s specialty
  • Demonstrate excellence based on the submission’s score
  • Demonstrate the importance of the work to critically ill patients and families
  • Be relevant to the section specialty

Members of the section leadership are ineligible to apply for the scholarship.

Clinical Pharmacy and Pharmacology Section Awards

Patient Safety and Early-Stage Researcher Award: Criteria

  • Applicant must be a pharmacist who is in residency or fellowship training or who has completed training within five years before the application date.
  • Applicant must be a member of the SCCM Clinical Pharmacy and Pharmacology (CPP) Section, be the first author of the submitted project, and have no current employment with the pharmaceutical industry.
  • Multiprofessional collaboration with physicians, nurses, information technologists, administrators, and other healthcare professionals is welcome and strongly encouraged.
  • SCCM members who have served as chair or chair-elect of the SCCM CPP Patient Safety Committee or who have served on the SCCM CPP Steering Committee are not eligible to apply until three years after their term has ended. These members must also not be senior authors on submitted abstracts.
  • Collaboration on the project with an SCCM member who has served as chair or chair-elect of the SCCM CPP Patient Safety Committee or who has served on the SCCM CPP Executive Committee does not affect the eligibility of an applicant who meets all other criteria.
  • Applicant must upload a verification letter on official letterhead signed by a program director or current employer by August 6, 2025. The letter must include the applicant’s name, abstract title, qualifying criteria, dates of fellowship/training, and director’s name.

Innovations in Patient and Medication Safety Award: Criteria

  • Applicant must be a pharmacist who is a member of the SCCM Clinical Pharmacy and Pharmacology (CPP) Section, be the first author of the submitted project, and have no current employment with the pharmaceutical industry.
  • Multiprofessional collaboration with physicians, nurses, information technologists, administrators, and other healthcare professionals is welcome and strongly encouraged.
  • SCCM members who have served as chair or chair-elect of the SCCM CPP Patient Safety Committee or who have served on the SCCM CPP Steering Committee are not eligible to apply until three years after their term has ended. These members must also not be senior author on submitted abstracts.
  • Collaboration on the project with an SCCM member who has served as chair or chair-elect of the SCCM CPP Patient Safety Committee or who has served on the SCCM CPP Executive Committee does not affect the eligibility of an applicant who meets all other criteria.
2025 Critical Care Congress Abstracts and Case Reports

2025 Critical Care Congress Abstracts and Case Reports

Over 1700 abstracts and case reports were accepted for the 2025 Critical Care Congress.

View the Supplement Published in Critical Care Medicine

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