ICU COVID-19 News
Limited Evidence of Mortality Displacement After COVID-19
2026 10 Mar
All-cause mortality trends shifted sharply during the COVID-19 years, interrupting long-standing declines in many high-income settings. Recent mortality data from 2024 suggest that some countries may be approaching prepandemic trends, but an apparent improvement can have different explanations. One possibility is mortality displacement, somet1 Read more
Global Mortality Patterns Shift as COVID-19 Recedes
2025 03 Nov
Regular, comparable assessments of causes of death help set health priorities. Updated estimates now cover 292 causes across 204 countries and territories, plus 660 subnational locations, for each year from 1990 to 2023. The analysis combines death counts, rates and years of life lost (YLLs) and adds two intuitive measures: the probability of1 Read more
Tocilizumab, Sarilumab and Anakinra in Critically Ill Patients With COVID-19
2025 22 May
Both corticosteroids and interleukin-6 receptor antagonists (IL-6ra) - tocilizumab and sarilumab - improve survival and reduce organ support needs in hospitalised COVID-19 patients, but their comparative effectiveness is unclear. Alternative treatments may be needed due to drug access issues. Interleukin-1 (IL-1), involved in acute infla1 Read more
Prolonged vs Shorter Awake Prone Positioning - COVID-19 With Acute Respiratory Failure
2024 05 Aug
Awake prone positioning has been shown to reduce endotracheal intubation in patients with COVID-19-related acute hypoxaemic respiratory failure (AHRF). This method has also become standard care for patients with moderate to severe acute respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS). During the COVID-19 pandemic, studies suggested that awake pron1 Read more
Life-Saving Effect of Dexamethasone in COVID-19
2024 09 Jul
Dexamethasone is a life-saving treatment for severe COVID-19, though patients exhibit varied responses to the therapy. Researchers at the German Center for Neurodegenerative Diseases (DZNE) and Charité – Universitätsmedizin Berlin have uncovered how this cortisone compound influences the impaired inflammatory response and which patients benefi1 Read more
Nirmatrelvir-Ritonavir for Long-COVID
2024 09 Jun
In a recent clinical trial, a 15-day course of nirmatrelvir-ritonavir targeting SARS-CoV-2 was found to be safe as an extended-duration treatment. However, it did not alleviate specific symptoms of long COVID. These findings are published in JAMA Internal Medicine. The combination of nirmatrelvir-ritonavir is approved by the FDA for trea1 Read more
Inequities in Nurses’ Moral Distress
2024 08 Jun
Research indicates that when nurses feel blocked from taking morally justifiable actions or achieving ethical outcomes, it leads to poor mental health, burnout, and a desire to leave their jobs. During the COVID-19 pandemic, surveys revealed that shortages of personal protective equipment (PPE) and lack of support from hospital administrators 1 Read more
The Least Bad Decision: Crisis Standards of Care After the Pandemic
2024 19 Apr
COVID-19 was an emergency that lasted for years and left few regions of the world untouched. The pandemic shone a spotlight on both the strengths and weaknesses of our disaster planning. What worked, what did not, and how can we better plan for future emergencies? The COVID-19 pandemic forced hospitals and health systems around the world1 Read more
Patient and Family Partnerships in the ICU: History, Benefits, and Strategies for the Future
2024 19 Apr
The seamless integration of patient- and family-centred care in the critical care setting remains elusive. This review discusses the history and benefits of patient- and family-centred care, plus strategies for partnering with patients and families in the critical care setting. Introduction Patient and family partnerships in the1 Read more
Just Published: The HOT-COVID Clinical Trial - ISICEM 2024
2024 19 Mar
Findings from the HOT-COVID Randomised Clinical Trial, just published in JAMA, were presented at #ISICEM24. COVID-19 pneumonia often leads to hypoxaemic respiratory failure, necessitating high levels of supplemental oxygen and intensive care. Previous recommendations suggested maintaining peripheral oxygen saturation (Spo2) between 90% an1 Read more
Cell-Based Therapies for ARDS
2024 13 Feb
Cell-based therapies, particularly mesenchymal stromal cells (MSCs), hold significant promise for treating acute respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS). MSCs exhibit therapeutic effects such as reducing inflammation, improving lung function, and promoting tissue repair. These cells can be sourced from different tissues, affecting their ease of 1 Read more
Ultra-Low Tidal Volume Ventilation for COVID-19-ARDS
2023 18 Jul
A new study aimed to evaluate the effectiveness of ventilation with ultra-low tidal volume (ULTV) compared to low tidal volume (LTV) in patients suffering from COVID-19-related acute respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS). COVID-19-related ARDS is associated with a high mortality rate and extended mechanical ventilation duration. The study1 Read more
Critical Care Staffing in Pandemics
2023 11 Jul
The COVID-19 pandemic has had significant impact on healthcare, with millions of cases and deaths reported globally. Healthcare workers have been particularly affected, experiencing increased mental health issues, burnout, and moral distress. The pandemic has led to higher levels of anxiety, depression, stress reactions, sleep disturbances, and p1 Read more
#EA23: Outcome in Patients With Postponed Elective Surgery During COVID-19
2023 06 Jun
The 30-day outcome findings in patients undergoing postponed elective surgery during the COVID-19 pandemic (TRACE II) were presented at a poster session at Euroanaesthesia 2023. The COVID-19 pandemic significantly affected the ability to perform elective surgeries worldwide. To understand the consequences of delayed surgery, the TRACE II s1 Read more
#ISICEM23: Time to Get Strategic About ICU Burnout
2023 22 Mar
In an interesting session at #ISICEM23, Michelle Chew, Professor of Anesthesiology, Intensive care, and Acute Medicine Care at Linköping University Hospital, Sweden, talked about stress, anxiety, and burnout. Prof Chew discussed a study conducted by her group on perceived and physiological stress, anxiety, and burnout among ICU staff in an a1 Read more
#ISICEM23: Effects of Therapeutic-Dose Heparin in Hospitalised Patients With COVID-19
2023 21 Mar
At the #ISICEM23 this week in Brussels, the benefits and harms of therapeutic-dose heparin varied by hospitalised COVID-19 patient characteristics were discussed, and the importance of considering the heterogeneity of treatment effect (HTE) in the design and analysis of randomised clinical trials was highlighted. To date, RCTs that have test1 Read more
New German Law: Ex-post Triage Criminalised
2023 13 Mar
What will be the consequences of the new German law of criminalising ex-post triage? Will it result in more legal disputes, ethical dilemmas and preventable deaths? Or will it achieve its goal? As the COVID-19 pandemic hit mankind, many healthcare systems worldwide faced a widely unprecedented shortage of personnel, pharmaceuticals, eq1 Read more
ECMO for COVID-19 ARDS
2023 15 Feb
There is increasing evidence supporting the use of extracorporeal membrane oxygenation (ECMO) for severe acute respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS) in patients that do not respond to maximal medical therapy. ARDS can occur in some COVID-19 patients who are hospitalised, and ECMO can be utilised as a treatment option in some cases. Using ECMO can h1 Read more
#LIVES2022: High-Flow Nasal Cannula Oxygen vs Standard Oxygen Therapy - SOHO-COVID
2022 24 Oct
At the Presidents' Ground Breaking Research Release session at ESICM LIVES 2022 in Paris, Jean-Pierre Frat (Poitiers, France) presented the findings from the Standard Oxygen Versus High Flow Cannula Oxygen Therapy in Patients With Acute Hypoxemic Respiratory Failure (SOHO-COVID) trial. COVID-19 has resulted in over six million deaths worldwid1 Read more
Does Antimicrobial Resistance Affect Clinical Outcomes in the ICU?
2022 14 Oct
An overview of antimicrobial resistance and its impact on clinical outcomes in the ICU. Antimicrobial resistance (AMR) has been defined as a major threat to healthcare and to humanity by the World Health Organization (WHO 2015). The level of evidence for the association between AMR and hospital deaths, hospital length of stay and healthca1 Read more