Search Tag: ICU
2025 19 Nov
A new study examined the relationship between the duration of tele-critical care (TCC) implementation and clinical outcomes. The research focused on 35 hospitals with 444 ICU beds that utilised TCC between 2012 and 2020, analysing 193,367 patient stays to determine whether prolonged TCC deployment improved ICU mortality rates, length of stay, and mechanical...Read more
2025 21 Oct
The decision to discharge patients from the ICU is complex, as premature discharge increases the risk of readmission and mortality, while delayed discharge raises healthcare costs. ICU readmission is associated with over twice the mortality risk, longer hospital stays, greater morbidity, and higher resource use. Several predictive models, such as SWIFT,...Read more
2025 08 Oct
Advances in critical care have shifted the focus from survival alone to enhancing long-term recovery and quality of life for patients and their families. Post-Intensive Care Syndrome (PICS) encompasses persistent physical, cognitive, and psychological problems that emerge after critical illness. To address these issues, several supportive strategies...Read more
2025 14 Aug
Healthcare professionals around the world are facing increasing pressures due to rising patient loads, staff shortages, and escalating costs. These systemic challenges are straining the capacity to deliver consistent, high-quality care and are expected to worsen without effective intervention. In this context, artificial intelligence (AI) offers promising...Read more
2025 06 Aug
Family members of ICU patients often experience intense distress, uncertainty, and a high risk of postintensive care syndrome–family, with 20–30% reporting significant caregiver burden. They frequently lack adequate communication and support from ICU staff, contributing to negative experiences and poor health outcomes. While family-focused interventions,...Read more
2025 24 Jul
When we clinicians find ourselves as critically ill patients or visiting family members, the dynamic changes. We often receive more detailed information, additional treatments, extended visiting hours, and other privileges. But is that truly fair? Introduction It is very stressful and challenging for both patients and families to be...Read more
2025 22 Jul
Artificial intelligence (AI) has the potential to improve diagnosis, prognostication, workflows, and personalised care in critical care, but implementation without a structured, risk-aware approach may lead to harm. Despite ICU pressures from staffing shortages, case complexity, and rising costs, most AI tools remain poorly validated in real-world...Read more
2025 25 Jun
Sepsis is a life-threatening condition caused by a dysregulated response to infection, leading to organ dysfunction and high mortality—about 10% overall and over 40% in septic shock cases. Early detection of patients at risk of deterioration in the emergency department (ED) is critical for timely treatment and appropriate patient disposition. Existing...Read more
2025 27 May
The EPIC (Enhancing Palliative Care in the ICU) project is a Europe-wide initiative aimed at integrating palliative care into ICUs to improve the quality of life for critically ill patients and their families. Launched in January 2024, the project brings together leading institutions from across Europe and is now in its second year. Details about the...Read more
2025 20 May
Sepsis remains one of the most daunting challenges in critical care. An estimated 49 million cases of sepsis occur globally every year, and it affects 1 in 5 people worldwide. Sepsis is responsible for 11 million deaths each year — this accounts for 20% of all global deaths. Sepsis and Acute Respiratory Distress Syndrome (ARDS)...Read more
2025 12 May
Survival rates in intensive care have improved, but about 20% of ICU survivors develop post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), which often goes undiagnosed and can severely impact quality of life, work, and health. Contributing factors include life-threatening experiences, invasive treatments, isolation, and loss of control. Early screening and targeted...Read more
2025 15 Apr
Critically ill patients, particularly those who experience delirium or require invasive mechanical ventilation, are at high risk for long-term cognitive impairments. Ventilator-associated brain injury is an emerging area of research, with experts emphasising the need for improved assessment tools and advanced statistical methods to evaluate brain dysfunction...Read more
2025 25 Mar
Delirium is common in critically ill patients and is linked to poor outcomes like prolonged hospital stays and cognitive impairment. Subsyndromal delirium (SSD) is an intermediate state between no delirium and full delirium, involving cognitive and behavioural abnormalities without meeting DSM-5 criteria for delirium. SSD affects about one-third of...Read more
2025 18 Mar
A roundtable discussion at the ISICEM Congress in Brussels on disorders of consciousness (DoC) focused on enhancing understanding, diagnosis, and prognosis for patients in ICUs. The main takeaway is that disorders of consciousness represent a continuum, and diagnoses should not be limited to binary terms like "coma" or "awake." These states...Read more
2025 04 Mar
ICU staffing varies widely due to factors like physician work-hour limitations, increased use of advanced practice providers (NPs and PAs), telemedicine, and shortages of healthcare workers, including nurses and ICU physicians. There is limited and low-quality data to guide staffing decisions, with most research focusing on individual roles rather...Read more
2025 24 Feb
Healthcare systems contribute significantly to greenhouse gas emissions and environmental pollution. Climate change is affecting human health, prompting healthcare professionals to adopt more sustainable practices. Pharmaceuticals play a major role in healthcare-related emissions, with their supply chain depleting natural resources and contributing...Read more
2025 27 Jan
ICUs provide critical treatment for severely ill patients but are resource-intensive and costly, requiring efficient and equitable utilisation. Guidelines for ICU admission and discharge have been established in several countries to optimise resource use. Intermediate care units (IMCUs), also known as high-dependency or step-down units, offer care...Read more
2025 16 Jan
Delirium is characterised by a sudden onset of cognitive changes, often accompanied by either altered consciousness or disorganised thinking. It is commonly observed in the post-surgical ICU, affecting up to 50-70% of patients, depending on individual risk factors. Several factors contribute to ICU delirium, including pre-existing and acute medical...Read more
2024 26 Nov
Pneumonia is a major global health issue, particularly for critically ill patients in ICUs. It encompasses various types, such as community-acquired pneumonia (CAP), hospital-acquired pneumonia (HAP), and ventilator-associated pneumonia (VAP), each with distinct diagnostic and treatment challenges. Annually, pneumonia contributes to over 2.5 million...Read more
2024 18 Nov
What is the impact of prolonged emergency department (ED) length of stay (LOS), particularly ED-to-ICU time (from ED admission to ICU admission) and ED-boarding time (time between ICU admission decision and transfer), on hospital outcomes? Studies suggest prolonged ED-to-ICU times may increase ICU and hospital mortality, though findings are mixed. ...Read more
2024 02 Sep
Mechanical ventilation with positive pressure aims to deliver well-conditioned gas, ensure lung expansion, and monitor key parameters like airway pressures and tidal volume (VT). Despite technological advancements, current invasive ventilation has limitations, particularly for critically ill patients who require timely, precise interventions. Positive...Read more
2024 26 Aug
Despite ongoing restrictive family visitation policies in ICUs worldwide, contemporary guidelines advocate for more flexible visitation. Flexible policies aim to enhance the ICU experience for both patients and their families and are linked to reduced acute anxiety in both groups and decreased depression in family members. These flexible policies do...Read more
2024 30 May
In acute critical illness, catabolism leads to muscle wasting, weakness, and difficulty in weaning from ventilation. Low intake of protein, energy, and micronutrients can worsen catabolism, leading to infections, delayed recovery, and increased mortality. Traditionally, it was believed that nutrition could counteract catabolism and improve outcomes....Read more
2024 19 Apr
Decision-making in the ICU is a multifaceted process that involves clinical assessment, collaboration among multidisciplinary teams, ethical considerations, evidence-based practice, communication, and continuous adaptation to evolving clinical scenarios. Read more
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 the...Read more
2024 17 Apr
The increasing availability of complex health data, coupled with advancing computational capabilities, offers an opportunity to define health and disease states with greater clarity and efficiency. This potential extends to real-time diagnosis and patient management. Due to its time-critical nature, the ICU presents unique challenges in creating effective...Read more
2024 12 Jan
Sepsis is a prominent cause of mortality in ICUs. Despite extensive research on the dynamics leading to sepsis, the role of cytokines—immune system molecules that can cause substantial harm to the body—has remained inadequately understood. While these proteins typically regulate inflammation, an overly aggressive immune response can result in a cytokine...Read more