ORIGINAL ARTICLE High-Flow or Standard Oxygen in Acute Hypoxemic Respiratory Failure Jean-Pierre Frat, Jean-Pierre Quenot, Christophe Guitton, et al N Engl J Med Published March 17, 2026 Abstract BACKGROUND Data are needed on the effect of oxygen delivered through a high-flow nasal cannula, as compared with standard oxygen therapy, on intubation and mortality in patients with acute hypoxemic respiratory failure. METHODS In this multicenter, open-la...

Editorial  Physical Restraint Use in Critical Care: Balancing Safety and Harm Kimberley J. Haines, Maj-Brit Nørregaard Kjær, Adam M. Deane JAMA Published Online: March 17, 2026 doi: 10.1001/jama.2026.2785 I was already fighting so much, not only for my life, but just like the need for a drop of water and any basic human need was being taken away anyway and then not to have the use of your bodily parts, your hands to hug somebody, to wipe away tears, t...

ORIGINAL ARTICLE Bleeding Risk with Apixaban vs. Rivaroxaban in Acute Venous Thromboembolism Lana A. Castellucci, Vivien M. Chen, Michael J. Kovacs, et al N Engl J Med 2026;394:1051-1060 DOI: 10.1056/NEJMoa2510703 Abstract BACKGROUND Apixaban and rivaroxaban are the oral anticoagulants most frequently used to treat acute venous thromboembolism. However, uncertainty remains about the difference in bleeding risk between the two medications. METHODS ...

ORIGINAL ARTICLE Prehospital Whole Blood in Traumatic Hemorrhage — a Randomized Controlled Trial Jason E. Smith, Rebecca Cardigan, Emily Sanderson, et al N Engl J Med Published March 17, 2026 DOI: 10.1056/NEJMoa2516043 Abstract BACKGROUND Whole-blood transfusion has recently gained favor in the management of severe hemorrhage; however, data from large clinical trials evaluating its clinical effectiveness and safety are lacking. METHODS We conduc...

Critical Care in an Age of War In ICU Tue, 17 Mar 2026 Conflict is no longer a distant concern; it is edging ever closer to the hospital ward. From cyberattacks on healthcare systems to fragile global supply chains and the realities of modern warfare, intensive care and emergency medicine specialists are being forced to reconsider how their units would function in a crisis. During ISICEM’s morning session, Prof Alexander Vlaar delivered a clear warn...

Original Investigation  Caring for the Critically Ill Patient Restrictive vs Liberal Physical Restraint Strategies in Critically Ill Patients: The R2D2-ICU Randomized Clinical Trial Romain Sonneville, Camille Couffignal, Florian Sigaud, et al JAMA Published Online: March 17, 2026 doi: 10.1001/jama.2026.2897 Key Points Question  Does a restrictive (low-use) wrist-strap physical restraint strategy, compared with a liberal (high-use) strat...

Opening Session of the 45th ISICEM In ICU Tue, 17 Mar 2026 During the opening session of the 45th ISICEM in Brussels, Prof Fabio S Taccone welcomed all participants. He talked about how ISICEM began with just 200 participants in a single university lecture hall and has now grown into one of the largest and most influential events in critical care, featuring multiple simultaneous sessions across eight conference rooms and five demo areas. Every day, ...

Original Investigation  Infectious Diseases Blastomycosis, Histoplasmosis, and Coccidioidomycosis in Outpatient Community-Acquired Pneumonia Kaitlin Benedict, George R. Thompson III, Neil M. Ampel, et al JAMA Netw Open 2026;9;(1):e2553965. doi:10.1001/jamanetworkopen.2025.53965 Key Points Question  What proportion of adult outpatients with unspecified community-acquired pneumonia (CAP) underwent diag...

Original Investigation  Medical Education Work Hours, Stress, and Burnout Among Resident Physicians Sydney F. Tan, Hana Siddiqui, Alex Pinto, et al JAMA Netw Open 2026;9;(1):e2553974. doi:10.1001/jamanetworkopen.2025.53974 Key Points Question  Are work hours associated with stress, burnout, and self-perceived competency among residents in high-burnout specialties? Findings  In this cross-sectional...

Chest EIT for Lung Ventilation and Perfusion In ICU Tue, 21 Oct 2025 Electrical impedance tomography (EIT) represents a significant advancement in respiratory monitoring as a non-invasive, radiation-free imaging technique that enables real-time bedside assessment of lung ventilation and perfusion. Despite growing clinical evidence and expanding applications over the past seven years since the first international consensus in 2017, there remains a lack ...