Critical Care Evidence Updates – September 2026

Randomised Controlled Trials

A multicenter randomized, double-blinded placebo-controlled phase 2 trial to evaluate safety and efficacy of ilofotase alfa in patients at risk for kidney injury following open heart surgery  Intensive Care Medicine

An augmented rehabilitation package incorporating immersive virtual reality during early recovery after ARDS: A randomized controlled trial  Annals of Intensive Care

An empirical study of the “Sandwich Method” in the management of moderately severe incontinence-associated dermatitis in critically ill patients: An empirical randomized controlled study  Journal of Tissue Viability

Association between age and outcomes of evidence-based feeding protocol versus usual care in critically ill patients: secondary analysis of a multicenter cluster-randomised controlled trial  Journal of Intensive Care

Early multimodal vasopressor strategy in septic shock: results of the TRICYCLE randomized controlled trial  Critical Care

Effect modification by baseline lactate in the association between time to assigned mean arterial pressure target and outcomes in older patients with septic shock: a post hoc analysis of the OPTPRESS trial  Journal of Anesthesia, Analgesia and Critical Care

Effects of companion-based emotional care on treatment adherence and physiological-psychological outcomes in AECOPD patients with respiratory failure undergoing noninvasive ventilation: a randomized controlled trial  BMC Pulmonary Medicine

Efficacy and safety of sedation induced with cipepofol alone versus a dexmedetomidine plus propofol regimen for patients requiring mechanical ventilation: a randomized, open-label, non-inferiority trial  Annals of Intensive Care

Efficacy of Noninvasive Ventilatory Therapies Through Different Interfaces in the Postoperative Care of Cardiac Surgery Patients: A Randomized Controlled Trial  Journal of Cardiothoracic and Vascular Anesthesia

Extracorporeal CO2 elimination for acute exacerbation of severe COPD requiring invasive mechanical ventilation: a randomized controlled trial (the X-COPD trial)  Critical Care

Fluid-intolerance signals as bedside safety limits during early septic shock resuscitation: a multicenter randomized trial  Critical Care

High blood pressure-targeted management associated with reduced benefits of higher body mass index in elderly patients with septic shock: a post hoc analysis of a multicenter randomized controlled trial  Annals of Intensive Care

Inhaled granulocyte–macrophage colony-stimulating factor (molgramostim) as host-directed therapy for pneumonia-related acute respiratory distress syndrome: a multicentre, randomised, placebo-controlled phase 2a trial (GI-HOPE)  ERJ Open Research

Ketamine for Analgosedation in Mechanically Ventilated Adults: A Double-Blind Randomized Trial  Critical Care Medicine

Low-intensity versus medium-intensity continuous renal replacement therapy for critically ill patients (LIMIT) trial: Protocol summary and statistical analysis plan of a randomised clinical trial  Critical Care and Resuscitation

Needle aspiration versus intercostal chest drain for secondary spontaneous pneumothorax (the PRINCE-SSP trial): a pragmatic, open-label, multi-centre, non-inferiority, randomised controlled trial  The European Respiratory Journal

Sodium Bicarbonate for Critically Ill Adults with Metabolic Acidosis and Shock  NEJM

Steroid, thiamine, and ascorbic acid for comatose out-of-hospital cardiac arrest survivors (STAR): a randomised, placebo-controlled, phase 2 trial  eClinicalMedicine

The effects of hemoadsorption in patients with sepsis-associated persistent severe AKI who require CRRT: A prospective, randomized controlled pilot study  Annals of Intensive Care

 

NICE

Suspected sepsis in people aged 16 or over: recognition, assessment and early management NG253

 

Other Guidance/Reports

Barriers and facilitators to successful implementation of cost-effective interventions and the development of the Achieving Cost-Effectiveness in ICU (ACE-ICU) self-assessment toolkit: an international, multidisciplinary modified eDelphi study  Critical Care

European Respiratory Society clinical practice guidelines update for the treatment of pulmonary arterial hypertension  European Respiratory Journal

Guided Protocol for Readiness to WEAN (GPR-WEAN): A consensus-based clinical framework for prescribing ventilator liberation in tracheostomised intensive care unit patients  Australian Critical Care

Guidelines for the management of atrial fibrillation in adult patients admitted to an intensive care unit  Annals of Intensive Care

Identifying research priorities in adult intensive care in the United Kingdom: Results from a James Lind Alliance priority setting partnership  Journal of the Intensive Care Society

Phenotype-based appropriateness of IGM-enriched polyclonal immunoglobulin use in critical illness: report of an expert consensus  Journal of Anesthesia, Analgesia and Critical Care

Rehabilitation and the post-intensive care syndrome across the recovery continuum: a narrative review  Intensive Care Medicine

 

Cochrane

Factors that impact on healthcare workers’ adherence with infection prevention and control (IPC) guidelines for COVID‐19: a qualitative evidence synthesis

Semi‐recumbent position for the prevention of ventilator‐associated pneumonia in adults requiring mechanical ventilation

 

Primary Research

¹⁸ F-Fluorodeoxyglucose Positron Emission Tomography Combined With CT in Unresolved ICU Infections: Diagnostic Yield and Clinical Consequences in a Retrospective Cohort  Critical Care Explorations

A cost-effectiveness analysis of selective decontamination of the digestive tract in mechanically ventilated patients in the intensive care unit  Critical Care and Resuscitation

A framework for outcome determination of nosocomial pneumonia treatment in ventilated critically ill patients  Critical Care

A specialist-led interprofessional weaning program to prevent weaning failure in high-risk patients: the PRiVENT study  Critical Care

A waste audit on different nebulization practices to treat respiratory conditions in the ICU  Journal of Critical Care

Acceptability of advanced monitoring for acute respiratory failure requiring non-invasive respiratory support: A qualitative study of perceptions from patients and critical care practitioners  Intensive and Critical Care Nursing

Agreement between chest radiograph and computed tomography for the diagnosis of acute respiratory distress syndrome: A retrospective observational study  Annals of Intensive Care

Association of Early-Onset Atrial Fibrillation and Estimated Atrial Fibrillation Burden with Mortality in Critically Ill Adults: A Landmark Cohort Study  Journal of Intensive Care Medicine

Body mass index and hospital mortality in mechanically ventilated patients with acute hypoxaemic respiratory failure: A retrospective cohort study  Critical Care and Resuscitation

Characteristics and Reported Practices of ICUs Participating in the Sedation, Analgesia and Delirium Management International Study: Variability in Site-Level Management of Mechanically Ventilated Patients  Critical Care Explorations

Comprehensive Driving Assessment to Enable Driving Resumption in Adults Recovering From Critical Illness: A Prospective Cohort Study  Critical Care Medicine

Continuous tissue CO₂ monitoring for early microcirculatory assessment across a broad ICU population : a descriptive and prognostic study  Critical Care

Early hemodynamic tolerance of landiolol in critically ill patients with supraventricular arrhythmia: a retrospective cohort study  Critical Care

Early Hyperoxia and 28-day Mortality in Adult Postcardiotomy Extracorporeal Membrane Oxygenation: A Two-Center Retrospective Cohort Study  Journal of Intensive Care Medicine

Early piperacillin exposure during continuous infusion in critically ill patients: the impact of renal and liver dysfunctions  Annals of Intensive Care

Effectiveness of a standardized weaning protocol in tracheostomized patients with prolonged mechanical ventilation: a prospective single-arm interventional trial  Journal of Intensive Care

Effects of spiral deflation and warming on cuff diameter, insertion force, extubation, and sealing performance in polyvinyl chloride-cuffed tracheal tubes  Anaesthesia and Intensive Care

Epidemiology of continuous renal replacement therapy in critically ill adults on ECMO: A multicenter cohort study  Journal of Critical Care

Epidemiology of Critically Ill Patients With Cirrhosis Undergoing Continuous Renal Replacement Therapy: A Contemporaneous Parallel Analysis of the HRS-HARMONY and CRRTnet Registries  Critical Care Medicine

Epidemiology of platelet transfusion in critically ill patients: a multicentre observational prospective study  Journal of Critical Care

Exploring the acceptability of a lip-reading app in acute and critical care: Perspectives from patients with tracheostomies, relatives and healthcare professionals  Intensive and Critical Care Nursing

Grief trajectories after ICU death: Impact of organ donation on family bereavement  Intensive and Critical Care Nursing

HbA1c Stratification Identifies High-Risk ICU Patients: Mortality and Complications in a Retrospective Critical Care Cohort  Journal of Intensive Care Medicine

Heterogeneous cardiovascular responses to acute mean arterial pressure augmentation in septic shock: the role of ventriculo-arterial coupling and venous return  Critical Care

Incidence and Risk Factors of Pressure Injury in Adult ICU Patients: A Prospective Cohort Study  Nursing in Critical Care

Lived Experiences of Clinical Nurse Educators Facilitating Interprofessional Simulation: An Interpretative Phenomenological Analysis Study  Nursing in Critical Care

Mannitol clearance for assessment of glomerular filtration rate in critically ill patients  Journal of Critical Care

Nafamostat mesylate versus low-molecular-weight heparin during continuous renal replacement therapy in critically Ill adults: a single-center retrospective cohort study  BMC Nephrology

Nurse-led respiratory care bundle and pneumonia prevention in critically ill patients with abdominal sepsis: a multicenter before-and-after controlled study  Critical Care

Nurses’ Perspectives on a Communication Model Between Providers and Mechanically Ventilated Patients in the Intensive Care Unit  Nursing in Critical Care

Optimising tazobactam dosing in critically ill adult patients without renal replacement therapy: a population pharmacokinetic analysis of individual patient data pooled from multiple clinical studies  Critical Care

Permissive versus conventional weaning from venovenous ECMO in patients with ARDS: a retrospective cohort study  Annals of Intensive Care

Risk Factors for Enteral Nutrition Intolerance in ICU Patients and Corresponding Optimized Nursing Strategies  Nursing in Critical Care

Risk of extended-spectrum β-lactamase-producing Enterobacterales colonization and infection in patients with cirrhosis admitted to the intensive care for gastrointestinal bleeding: a multicenter retrospective observational study  Critical Care

Routine Blood Sampling and Hidden Blood Loss in ICU Patients  Nursing in Critical Care

Short-term outcomes across sedation practice patterns in mechanically ventilated patients with bacterial pneumonia: a nationwide cohort study  Annals of Intensive Care

The Influence of Chest CT Versus. Chest x-ray on the Management of Critically ill Patients: A Retrospective Study  Journal of Intensive Care Medicine

The role of timely assessment of appropriate care in reducing greenhouse gas emissions in intensive care medicine  Annals of Intensive Care

Time-Dependent Effects of Inotropic Exposure During Venoarterial Extracorporeal Membrane Oxygenation Support on the Probability of Extracorporeal Membrane Oxygenation Weaning Failure  Critical Care Medicine

Toward targeted assessment of inspiratory muscle weakness before extubation: a Pooled individual patient data analysis from multiple observational cohorts in critically ill ventilated patients  Critical Care

Metadata

Summary author: Rebecca Howes
Summary date:
Picture by: Ehimetalor Akhere Unuabona on Unsplash