EDITORIAL Selective Digestive Decontamination — Finding the Way Forward Michael Klompas N Engl J Med 2026;394:1543-1545 DOI: 10.1056/NEJMe2602823 In critical care, selective digestive decontamination (SDD) is the elephant in the room. Cluster-randomized trials, individually randomized trials, and meta-analyses have shown that the use of SDD is associated with a decreased risk of ventilator-associated pneumonia, of hospital-onset bacteremia, and in some stud...

NIVPredict: AI Tool for Early Prediction of NIV Outcome in Acute Respiratory Failure In ICU Tue, 17 Feb 2026 Patients with acute respiratory failure (ARF) who fail non-invasive ventilation (NIV) and subsequently require intubation face a significantly elevated risk of death. No formal clinical guidelines currently exist to assist clinicians in identifying which patients are most likely to fail NIV in a timely manner. Existing clinical scoring tools, in...

Original Investigation  Surgery β-Lactam vs Non–β-Lactam Prophylaxis in Elective Colorectal Surgery Curtis D. Collins, Eric Hartsfield, Robert K. Cleary, et al JAMA Netw Open 2026;9;(4):e266708. doi:10.1001/jamanetworkopen.2026.6708 Key Points Question  Are surgical prophylaxis regimens containing β-lactam antibiotics associated with lower surgical site infections (SSIs) compared with non–β-lactam alternative regimens in patients undergoin...

Original Investigation  Health Informatics Large Language Model Performance and Clinical Reasoning Tasks Arya S. Rao, Kaiz P. Esmail, Richard S. Lee, et al JAMA Netw Open 2026;9;(4):e264003. doi:10.1001/jamanetworkopen.2026.4003 Key Points Question  Can off-the-shelf large language models (LLMs) demonstrate reliable performance across the clinical workflow? Findings  In this cross-sectional study of 21 frontier LLMs tested on ...

EDITORIAL Glucocorticoids in Kawasaki Disease — Refining Indications and the Science Jane C. Burns, Jane W. Newburger N Engl J Med 2026;394:1542-1543 DOI: 10.1056/NEJMe2518759 Kawasaki disease is the most common cause of acquired heart disease in children in the developed world.1 Although Kawasaki disease manifests with acute, transient systemic signs, its long-term morbidity derives from necrotizing vasculitis that predominantly affects the coronary a...

ORIGINAL ARTICLE Cefazolin for Methicillin-Susceptible Staphylococcus aureus Bacteremia The Staphylococcus aureus Network Adaptive Platform (SNAP) Trial Group N Engl J Med 2026;394:2329-2339 DOI: 10.1056/NEJMoa2506905 Abstract BACKGROUND Staphylococcus aureus bacteremia is associated with high mortality. Whether cefazolin or an antistaphylococcal penicillin should be preferred for the treatment of methicillin-susceptible S. aureus&...

EDITORIAL Prehospital Whole Blood for Traumatic Hemorrhage — Consistent Evidence from Two Randomized Trial Susan E. Rowell, Selwyn O. Rogers, Jr. N Engl J Med 2026;394:2372-2373 DOI: 10.1056/NEJMe2605735 Hemorrhagic shock remains the leading cause of preventable death after injury.1 Over the past two decades, early administration of blood products has transformed care for patients with bleeding. The Pragmatic, Randomized Optimal Platelet and Plasma Rat...

Original Investigation  An American College of Surgeons National Quality Improvement Collaborative to Enhance Lung Cancer Surgical Quality Kelley Chan, Eileen M. Reilly, Ryan C. Jacobs, et al JAMA Surg Published Online: April 15, 2026 doi: 10.1001/jamasurg.2026.0902 Key Points Question  Can a national quality improvement (QI) collaborative model increase compliance for a lung cancer operative standard? Findings  Among 354 accr...

ONLINE FIRST (FREE ACCESS) PHYSIOLOGY IN CRITICAL ILLNESS Understanding the Disease Cardiac output and determinantsBhattacharjee, S., Ferrer, R. & Hamzaoui, O. LATEST ARTICLES Editorial Defining ECMO complications: a step towards improving clinical outcomes?Brown, A., Barbaro, R. Update on long-term physical disability after critical illness: the burden of post-intensive care syndromeHermann, M., Karner, V. & Schaller, S.J. Immunosuppressiv...

Original Investigation  Intrawound Tobramycin Plus Vancomycin to Prevent Surgical Site Infection in Tibial Fractures: The TOBRA Randomized Clinical Trial Major Extremity Trauma Research Consortium (METRC) JAMA Published online: April 15, 2026 doi: 10.1001/jama.2026.4023 Key Points Question  Is the combination of intrawound tobramycin and vancomycin powder more effective than vancomycin powder alone to reduce deep surgical site infection in...