Volume 21 - Issue 4, 2021

Gender inequity in critical care medicine remains a pressing issue as the representation of women and minorities continues to be lowest in this specialty. Women continue to be underrepresented in leadership roles and senior positions. Whether it is overall compensation, lucrative opportunities, recipients of research funding, lead authors and editors, or presence at medical conferences, men continue to out...

Looking at gender, bias and equality through the lens of the COVID-19 crisis and its potential for broad and lasting effects and addressing how this unprecedented situation can be a chance for interaction, learning and the development of best practices, such as developing work structures that could be continued in our post-pandemic future. Epidemiological findings, outcome data, and socio-economical glob...

Among 1,841 very old ICU patients with respiratory failure, although women had higher age and frailty, males had higher 30-day mortality assessed one month after ICU admission. Particularly in light of the ongoing pandemic, male patients appear to be at significantly higher risk for worse outcomes than females. Demographic change does not stop at the intensive care unit (ICU). Among all ages, the very ol...

The devastating impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on women and communities of colour and the need for diversity among healthcare workers and public health leaders. Diversity is the condition of having many different elements. These may include people with different opinions, backgrounds (degrees and social experience), religious beliefs, political beliefs, sexual orientations, heritage, and life experience....

An overview of the impact of gender on the severity of illness, impact and outcomes of COVID-19. The human coronaviruses (HCoVs) include two alpha-CoVs (HCoV-229E and HCoV-NL63) and five beta-coronaviruses (HCoV-OC43, HCoV-HKU1, severe acute respiratory syndrome CoV [SARS-CoV], Middle East respiratory syndrome CoV [MERS-CoV], and most recently (β-CoV SARS-CoV-2). Early data relating to the severe acute re...

Change content default valueSex interplays with the development of several diseases and syndromes, impacting differently the need for intensive care unit admission between men and women. All in all, men are more prone to develop critical illness than women, which explains their over-representation in the intensive care unit. On the other hand, treatments differ between men and women with more aggressive and...

An overview of gender inequity in critical care medicine, why there is limited progress towards gender equity in this particular specialty, barriers to women’s progress and possible solutions. The United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization have delineated the difference between two entities - equality and equity as “Gender equality, does not mean that women and men have to become...

A personal observation and reflection on how to handle a chronic ventilator user and suggestions to smoothen the sojourn of the next chronic ventilator user through an ICU, while ensuring maximal dignity and maintenance of function; minimising suffering and reducing the need for inappropriate withdrawal of life support. “John is a nineteen year old, first year university st...

COVID-19 has drastically changed how end-of-life care is practiced in the intensive care unit. Safety concerns for society limits family visitation but is contrary to patient and family-oriented care. This article provides an ethical analysis of the pros and cons of having family members present at the death of a COVID-19 positive ICU patient and provides a framework that can be used in future surges. En...

SEPTEMBER 1-5 17th World Congress of Anaesthesiologists WCA 2021 Virtual event https://iii.hm/1biq 5-8 ERS International Congress 2021 - European Respiratory Society Virtual event https://iii.hm/1bir 8-10 European Society of Regional Anaesthesia (ESRA) Congress 2021 Virtual event https://iii.hm/1bis 9-4 ESPEN 2021 Virtual eventhttps://iii.hm/1bit 13-14 British Association of Critical Care Nurses (B...