It was established in 1975 as the European Journal of Intensive Care Medicine and obtained its current name in 1977.

It is the official journal of the European Society of Intensive Care Medicine.

The editor-in-chief is Giuseppe Citerio (University of Milano Bicocca).

It is intended for all those who are involved in intensive medical care, physicians, anaesthetists, surgeons, paediatricians, as well as those concerned with pre-clinical subjects and medical sciences basic to these disciplines.

The journal publishes: review articles reflecting the present state of knowledge in special areas or summarizing limited themes in which discussion has led to clearly defined conclusions; original papers reporting progress and results in all areas of intensive care medicine and its related fields; educational articles giving information on the progress of a topic of particular interest; discussion on technology, methods, new apparatus and modifications of standard techniques; brief reports of uncommon and interesting disorders; correspondence concerning matters of topical interest or relating to published material.