ISICEM 2024 Begins! The 43rd International Symposium on Intensive Care and Emergency Medicine (ISICEM) opened today in Brussels. The Congress will feature over 600 presentations in the next four days, covering a wide array of topics and providing valuable insights to contribute to the mission of advancing critical care worldwide. As highlighted during the opening ceremony, ISICEM is a testament to the dedication of its scientific advisors, the hard work of t...

Return to Work After Hospitalisation for Sepsis This study focuses on the impact of sepsis, a condition resulting from a dysregulated immune response to infection, on the ability of patients to return to work (RTW). Sepsis is a significant global health concern, causing substantial morbidity and mortality. Sepsis survivors commonly experience long-term cognitive and functional impairments, but the effect on their ability to resume work is not well understood. RT...

International Consensus Criteria for Paediatric Sepsis and Septic Shock In 2017, an estimated 25 million children worldwide experienced sepsis, resulting in over 3 million deaths. Paediatric sepsis survivors often face ongoing physical, cognitive, emotional, and psychological challenges. Children, particularly in lower-resource settings, face a higher risk of developing sepsis during their early years. The World Health Organization's resolution on sepsis underscore...

IMMUNOCITRE Trial - Enteral L-citrulline Administration vs Placebo Critically ill patients admitted to the ICU often experience temporary immune deficiencies, leading to persistent organ dysfunction and a higher risk of ICU-acquired infections. Researchers have been exploring immune-enhancing diets to address these issues, focusing on nutrients like L-arginine. L-arginine is important because it can become deficient in critically ill patients and is associated with...

Knowledge and Awareness of Sepsis Among Risk Populations Sepsis can have potentially life-threatening consequences. Early recognition is crucial for effective intervention. The role of patients in preventing and identifying sepsis early is vital. However, there is an incomplete understanding of sepsis knowledge among at-risk groups and their ability to recognise sepsis as a medical emergency. COVID-19 often leads to sepsis, with about one-third of hospitalised C...

Invited Commentary  January 31, 2024 Time to First Whole Blood Associated With Survival—First (Whole) Blood? Jason L. Sperry, Matthew D. Neal JAMA Surg. Published online January 31, 2024. doi:10.1001/jamasurg.2023.7186 Despite significant advances in resuscitation and management over time, mortality from traumatic injury continues to occur early, commonly within hours of arrival to definitive trauma care.1,2 Literature consistently has d...

ICU Management & Practice, Volume 23 - Issue 4, 2023 Mechanical Power for Protective Mechanical Ventilation in Patients With and Without ARDS Mechanical power is an easy bedside tool to guide lung protective ventilation, as it is an index of the energy load applied to the lung during mechanical ventilation and expresses in one formula all the main determinants of ventilator-induced lung injury. Although a threshold value has not already been defined, a mech...

ICU Management & Practice, Volume 23 - Issue 4, 2023 Why Artificial Intelligence is Not Fixing the Problem of Sepsis in the Hospital The use of Artificial Intelligence in detecting sepsis, AI prediction/detection models and how these healthcare tools need to complement clinical expertise. The potential of Artificial Intelligence (AI) in healthcare has generated significant excitement and discussion. However, it's important to distinguish between the theo...

ICU Management & Practice, Volume 23 - Issue 4, 2023 Individualisation of Mechanical Ventilation in Obstructive Lung Disease: Not All Patients Have ARDS Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease and asthma are pathologies par excellence with an obstructive pattern. It is important to understand the fundamentals of mechanical ventilation management in these patients. Therefore, it is crucial to perform proper measurement of respiratory mechanics in patients with...

ICU Management & Practice, Volume 23 - Issue 4, 2023 Towards Artificial Intelligence as a Decision Support Tool to Combat AMR in the ICU Ongoing research and challenges regarding the use of Artificial Intelligence and Machine Learning to leverage data and identify complex interactions to address antimicrobial resistance in the ICU. The possibilities of artificial intelligence (AI), and more specifically, machine learning (ML), are being researched across...