Beyond the Pressure: Moving Toward Personalized Sepsis Care

In the high-stakes environment of septic shock, the current clinical "gold standard" remains the early initiation of norepinephrine. However, when blood pressure targets aren't met, the next steps often become a pragmatic... read more

Metabolic Acidosis Worsens Cardiac Function and Vasopressor Needs in Septic Shock

In a prospective observational study conducted from January to December 2024 at Hospital de Especialidades No. 14, IMSS, in Veracruz, Mexico, researchers examined the cardiovascular effects of acute metabolic acidemia in... read more

Sepsis: Definitions, Pathophysiology and the Challenge of Bedside Management

A comprehensive and state-of-the-art resource for clinicians who care for patients with sepsis and research scientist alike. Patients with severe sepsis requiring ICU admission have very high rates of ICU and overall... read more

Sepsis: Definitions, Pathophysiology and the Challenge of Bedside Management

Neostigmine’s Anti-Inflammatory Edge: Cholinergic Boost Slashes Cytokines, Organ Failure, and Mortality in Septic Shock

In a randomized controlled trial, researchers investigated the adjuvant use of continuous neostigmine infusion (0.2 mg/hr for 5 days) in patients with septic shock, leveraging its ability to enhance vagal cholinergic anti-inflammatory... read more

Urinary Source Saves Lives: Why Infection Origin Matters in Septic Shock for Patients Over 90

In critically ill nonagenarians and centenarians admitted to ICUs with septic shock, the source of infection emerges as a key independent predictor of long-term survival, varying over time. Patients with septic shock from... read more

Obesity Paradox or Myth? BMI Shows No Impact on Sepsis Survival in ICU Patients

This retrospective cohort study examined the association between body mass index (BMI) and clinical outcomes in 559 adult ICU patients with sepsis admitted between January 2021 and December 2023. Patients were categorized... read more

Vasopressin vs. Norepinephrine in Neonatal Septic Shock

A retrospective multi-center study analyzed the use of vasopressin (VA) and norepinephrine (NE), two distinct pressors, in 58 neonates with warm septic shock across three Canadian Level-III NICUs between 2015 and 2020. The... read more

Triumph Over Sepsis: Dramatic Mortality Decline in ANZ ICUs, With a Post-2020 Rebound

In a comprehensive analysis of over 2.9 million ICU admissions across 219 Australian and New Zealand intensive care units from 2000 to mid-2023, in-hospital mortality for adult patients with sepsis (per Sepsis-3 criteria)... read more

Vasopressin in Septic Shock: When and How to Use the Second-Line Vasopressor

SSC Guideline Recommendation: The Surviving Sepsis Campaign (SSC) weakly recommends adding vasopressin as a second-line agent instead of continuously escalating norepinephrine if a patient's mean arterial pressure (MAP) remains... read more

Reducing Mortality in Critically Ill Patients

This book describes the techniques, strategies, and drugs that have been demonstrated by multicenter randomized trials to influence survival in critically ill patients, defined as those who have acute failure of at least... read more

Reducing Mortality in Critically Ill Patients

Optimizing Sedation & Analgesia in the ICU, An Issue of Critical Care Clinics, E-Book (The Clinics: Internal Medicine)

In this issue of Critical Care Clinics, guest editors Drs. Yahya Shehabi, Joanna L. Stollings, and Timothy D. Gerard bring their considerable expertise to the topic of Optimizing Sedation and Analgesia in the ICU. Top... read more

Optimizing Sedation & Analgesia in the ICU, An Issue of Critical Care Clinics, E-Book (The Clinics: Internal Medicine)

ICU Quick Drug Guide 2nd Edition

This book provides precise, must-have drug information for the ICU. It offers essential, evidence-based practice guidelines for the critical care setting. Now in its fully revised and expanded second edition, ICU Quick Drug... read more

ICU Quick Drug Guide 2nd Edition

ICU Alert: Unraveling Mortality in Obstructive Pyelonephritis

This retrospective multicenter study investigated in-hospital mortality among 483 patients admitted to the ICU (8 centers) over a decade due to obstructive pyelonephritis, a severe condition often caused by kidney stones,... read more

VA-ECMO in Septic Shock: A High-Stakes, High-Uncertainty Rescue

The use of Veno-Arterial Extracorporeal Membrane Oxygenation (VA-ECMO) as a rescue therapy for refractory septic shock remains a challenging, context-dependent, and uncertain strategy in adults. Current evidence shows... read more

Defending the Vulnerable: Neutropenic Sepsis Outcomes Improve Despite Higher Risk

A decade-long, single-center study in a French ICU examined the characteristics and outcomes of 185 consecutive patients admitted with neutropenic sepsis or septic shock between 2012 and 2022. The analysis revealed a... read more

SOFA-2: Close, But Not Quite the Ideal Measure of Organ Failure

The SOFA-2 (Sequential Organ Failure Assessment) score represents the latest effort to provide a simple, reliable, and continuous measure of organ dysfunction in critically ill patients, a concept first outlined decades ago.... read more

Beyond Liver Failure: MELD-XI Predicts Sepsis Mortality

This retrospective cohort study investigated the utility of the MELD-XI (Model for End-Stage Liver Disease-Excluding INR) score as a predictor of 30-day mortality in over 16,600 adult ICU patients with sepsis, using data... read more

The Sepsis Chain of Survival: Breaking the Cycle

This framework offers a systematic and adaptable approach to improving outcomes for patients with suspected sepsis. Borrowing from the successful Cardiac Arrest Chain of Survival, the Sepsis Chain emphasizes a seamless series... read more

Corticosteroids in ARDS: Delaying High-Dose Methylprednisolone Doesn’t Kill

This large retrospective study investigated whether starting high-dose (2 mg/kg) methylprednisolone therapy after 14 days of Acute Respiratory Distress Syndrome (ARDS) onset increased the risk of complications or mortality... read more

The Sepsis Tightrope: Tracking Antibiotic Levels to Hit the Sweet Spot in the ICU

This prospective, observational study examined the beta-lactam antibiotic concentrations in the crucial first 48 hours of treatment for patients with community-acquired sepsis in the Intensive Care Unit (ICU). The study... read more

VIS to Win: Predicting Mortality After Infective Endocarditis Surgery

This study explored the predictive power of the Vasoactive-Inotropic Score (VIS) in patients who underwent valve replacement surgery for infective endocarditis (IE). The key finding is that the VIS is a strong and superior... read more

AI Alert: Machine Learning Predicts Septic Shock Early in the ICU

This study developed and successfully validated a machine learning (ML) model designed to provide an early prediction of septic shock in intensive care unit (ICU) patients diagnosed with sepsis. Best Performer: Out of... read more