Critical Care Evidence Updates – August 2026

Randomised Controlled Trials

A Co-Designed Post-ICU Follow-Up Pathway Is Feasible and May Be Associated With Improved Psychosocial Recovery for Patients and Their Caregivers: Outcomes From the IMPACT-ICU Single-Center Randomized Controlled Trial  Critical Care Explorations

Autonomous Oxygen Titration for Maintaining Normoxemia in Acutely Ill Adults – The SAVE-O₂ AI Randomized Clinical Trial  JAMA Internal Medicine

Closed-loop versus conventional synchronization in spontaneously breathing adult patients– a randomized controlled study  Journal of Critical Care

Discrepancies between estimated and geometrically derived mechanical power in invasively ventilated patients – insights from a randomized clinical trial  Intensive Care Medicine Experimental

Dual antithrombotic therapy using potent antiplatelet inhibitors in atrial fibrillation and acute coronary syndrome: a randomized controlled trial  Nature Medicine

Duration of Therapeutic Hypothermia After Out-of-Hospital Cardiac Arrest – The ICECAP Randomized Clinical Trial  JAMA

Early mobilization for mechanical ventilation for sepsis or acute respiratory failure (EVER): a multicenter randomized controlled trial with 12-month outcomes  Intensive Care Medicine

Early red blood cell transfusion strategy in septic shock among patients with cancer: the TRANSPORT randomized controlled trial  Intensive Care Medicine

Effect of an app-guided advanced cardiac life support algorithm on teamwork, non-technical skills, and workload in simulated in-hospital cardiac arrest: a randomized controlled feasibility trial  Scandinavian Journal of Trauma, Resuscitation and Emergency Medicine

Effect of megadose vitamin C in patients with sepsis: the CEMVIS randomized clinical trial  Critical Care

H3.1 Nucleosomes to Predict Renal Replacement Therapy and Mortality in Sepsis—A Secondary Analysis of the SISPCT Randomized Control Trial  Critical Care Medicine

Impact of a strategy using multiplex PCR on targeted antibiotic therapy for patients with suspected ventilator-associated pneumonia or hospital-acquired pneumonia requiring mechanical ventilation: a randomized, single-blind trial  Intensive Care Medicine

Indirect calorimetry-guided nutrition during weaning from prolonged mechanical ventilation: a double-blind randomized controlled trial  Critical Care

Low-dose, short-duration catheter-directed thrombolysis for acute intermediate-high-risk pulmonary embolism: the BETULA trial  EuroIntervention

Physiological comparison of high-flow oxygen via endotracheal tube and T-piece strategies during spontaneous breathing trials: a randomized crossover study  Critical Care

Postintensive Care Frailty of Older Patients With Septic Shock: A Post Hoc Analysis of a Multicenter Randomized Controlled Trial  Critical Care Medicine

Prophylactic high-flow nasal oxygen vs. conventional oxygen for prevention of postoperative respiratory complications: a randomized trial  Critical Care

Protocol for a feasibility randomised controlled trial of administering daytime only enteral feeding compared to standard continuous enteral feeding, to reduce delirium in mechanically ventilated, critically ill adults, with qualitative and circadian mechanistic sub-studies  Journal of the Intensive Care Society

Reducing Night-Time Sound Levels Through Bed-Level Quiet ICU Bundle: A Randomised Counterbalanced Crossover Study in Adult Intensive Care  Nursing in Critical Care

Short- and Long-term Efficacy and Safety of Levosimendan in Veno-arterial Extracorporeal Membrane Oxygenation Weaning: The WEANILEVO Randomized Double-blind Multicenter Trial  Anesthesiology

Targeted Temperature Management at 35°C vs. 37°C for Heatstroke in ICU: A Pilot Randomized Controlled Trial  Critical Care Medicine

The Effect of Aromatherapy on Fatigue and Sleep Quality in Intensive Care Nurses: A Randomised Placebo-Controlled Trial  Nursing in Critical Care

 

Other Guidance/Reports

American Association for the Surgery of Trauma/American College of Surgeons Committee on Trauma clinical protocol for nutrition support in adult trauma  Journal of Trauma and Acute Care Surgery

Cardiac ultrasound in cardiovascular emergency and critical care: a clinical consensus statement of the European Association of Cardiovascular Imaging, the Acute CardioVascular Care Association of the European Society of Cardiology, and the European Association of Cardiothoracic Anaesthesia and Intensive Care  European Heart Journal – Cardiovascular Imaging

Clinical practice guideline for renal replacement therapy in critically ill patients with acute kidney injury (2026 edition)  Journal of Intensive Medicine

Consensus recommendations on perioperative mechanical ventilation strategies: an evidence-based guideline by the Brazilian society of anesthesiology  Brazilian Journal of Anesthesiology (English Edition)

Criteria for the diagnosis of cardiogenic shock—European perspective: A Clinical Consensus Statement of the Association for Acute CardioVascular Care, the Heart Failure Association, and the European Association of Percutaneous Cardiovascular Interventions of the ESC  European Heart Journal. Acute Cardiovascular Care

Evidence-based, cost-effective management of empyema and chylothorax: An algorithm of the Journal of Trauma and Acute Care Surgery Emergency General Surgery Algorithms work group   Journal of Trauma and Acute Care Surgery

Fifth Universal Definition of Myocardial Infarction (2026): On behalf of the Joint European Society of Cardiology (ESC)/American College of Cardiology (ACC)/American Heart Association (AHA)/World Heart Federation (WHF) Task Force for the Universal Definition of Myocardial Infarction
Endorsed by the European Association for Cardio-Thoracic Surgery (EACTS) and the Society of Thoracic Surgeons (STS)
Affirmation of Value by the Society for Cardiovascular Angiography and Interventions (SCAI)  European Heart Journal

Focused Update to International Consensus Recommendations for the Use of Prolonged-Infusion Beta-Lactam Antibiotics Among Severely Ill Adult Patients: Endorsed by the American College of Clinical Pharmacy, British Society for Antimicrobial Chemotherapy, Cystic Fibrosis Foundation, European Society of Clinical Microbiology and Infectious Diseases, Infectious Diseases Society of America, Society of Critical Care Medicine, and Society of Infectious Diseases Pharmacists  Pharmacotherapy

Safety recommendations on laboratory and blood count values for early mobilization in critically ill adults: an expert consensus  Critical Care Science

Primary Research

A 1-Hour Resuscitation Bundle for Prehospital Management of Septic Shock  Critical Care Medicine

Analysis of Factors Influencing Downtime During Continuous Renal Replacement Therapy in Critically Ill Patients and Construction of a Prediction Model  Nursing in Critical Care

Association between fluid balance, muscle strength, and muscle quality in critically ill patients: a retrospective observational study  Intensive Care Medicine Experimental

Association Between In-Hospital Mortality and ICU Patient Volume at the Facility-Level Stratified by Severity  Critical Care Medicine

Association of Statin Use With Short- and Long-Term Mortality in Critically Ill Patients With Aortic Stenosis: A Retrospective Cohort Study  Journal of Intensive Care Medicine

Association of timing of vasopressin initiation with renal replacement therapy in septic shock patients  Journal of Critical Care

Comparative efficacy of landiolol and bisoprolol transdermal patch in patients with sepsis-related tachycardia: a retrospective cohort study  Journal of Intensive Care

Correlation Study Between Inflammatory Markers and Pathogenic Characteristics in Patients with Severe Pneumonia in Intensive Care Units  Journal of Intensive Care Medicine

Decreasing Unplanned Extubation Rates on an Adult Medical Intensive Care Unit  Critical Care Nurse

Development and Validation of an ICU Communication Checklist for Conscious Patients With Artificial Airways: Evidence Synthesis and Nominal Group Technique  Nursing in Critical Care

Early de-escalation of antifungal treatment in critically ill immunocompromised patients with proven or probable invasive candidiasis: a retrospective multicentre study  Annals of Intensive Care

Early hemodynamic response to angiotensin II defines a prognostic phenotype in bloodstream infection–associated septic shock   Journal of Critical Care

Early Total Bilirubin Trajectories During the First 72 Hours After ICU Admission With Mechanical Ventilation and Short-Term Mortality: A Multicenter Cohort Study  Critical Care Explorations

Efficacy of a Nursing Checklist During Mechanical Ventilation in Patients With Severe Pneumonia  Nursing in Critical Care

Embedding the hand-hygiene champion role to improve compliance in intensive care  British Journal of Nursing

Enteral Nutrition Delivery Methods and Clinical Outcomes in Critically Ill Patients: A Retrospective Cohort Study  Journal of Intensive Care Medicine

Evaluation of the SMS-ICU score for multicontinental use: A federated external validation study using critical care registry data  Critical Care and Resuscitation

Exploring generation Z nurses’ experiences of shift work in intensive care units: A qualitative analysis  Intensive and Critical Care Nursing

Factors Influencing Unplanned Discontinuation of Continuous Renal Replacement Therapy: A Descriptive Time-Series Analysis  Nursing in Critical Care

Gender differences in healthcare providers’ perceptions of key care priorities for very old patients in intensive care: A secondary analysis of results from ESICM recommendations for the management of very old patients  Journal of Intensive Medicine

Higher Risk of Acute Kidney Injury in Sepsis Patients with High PEEP Trajectories: A Study Using the Latent Class Trajectory Model Based on the MIMIC-IV Database  Journal of Intensive Care Medicine

Humanizing care in the ICU: Implementation insights from the Footprints Project  Intensive and Critical Care Nursing

Immune clinical profiles as determinants of acute respiratory failure etiologies in critically ill patients with hematological malignancies: A multicenter analysis  Journal of Critical Care

Impact of an ROX index-guided intubation strategy on mortality in patients receiving high-flow nasal cannula: a target trial emulation  Journal of Intensive Care

Interhospital transport of patients with time-critical cardiac emergencies by an adult critical care transfer team   Journal of the Intensive Care Society

Kidney function trajectories and their associated factors among diabetic ICU patients: a group-based trajectory modeling study  BMC Nephrology

Management of liquid pharmaceutical residues in the intensive care unit: an ancillary analysis of the multicenter observational GAME-OVER study  Intensive and Critical Care Nursing

Necrotizing soft tissue infections: Challenges and opportunities to improve patient outcomes  Burns

Net Ultrafiltration Rate and Mortality in Critically Ill Patients: A Multicenter Cohort Study With Analysis of Fluid Balance Changes  Critical Care Medicine

NEWS2 versus shock status to stratify antibiotic urgency in patients with suspected sepsis: a retrospective, multicentre cohort study  The Lancet Respiratory Medicine

Nurses’ and Families’ Experiences of a Feasibility Trial Comparing Single-Use and Multiple-Use Endotracheal Suction Catheters in Mechanically Ventilated Patients: A Qualitative Study  Nursing in Critical Care

Perceptions of expertise and its development among critical care trainees and staff physicians: A qualitative interview study  Journal of Critical Care

Physiological determinants of piperacillin and cefazolin clearance in septic and trauma patients  Critical Care

Prognostic associations of urine output in AKI and dialysis vintage in ESKD at continuous kidney replacement therapy initiation in ICU patients  Journal of Intensive Care

Prognostic impact of Candida spp. isolation and early antifungal therapy in ICU patients with peritonitis: a multicenter cohort study  Annals of Intensive Care

Reflection Activity After Patient Death to Reduce Anxiety in Intensive Care Nurses  Critical Care Nurse

Remote Multicomponent Rehabilitation and Cost-Effectiveness in Survivors of Critical Illness  JAMA Network Open

Risk of blood culture contamination during central venous catheter insertion in critically ill adults: a self-controlled study  Journal of Critical Care

The association between documented right ventricular dysfunction and in-hospital mortality in mechanically ventilated critically ill patients receiving a noradrenaline infusion: A retrospective observational cohort study  Critical Care and Resuscitation

The effect of augmented protein intake on nitrogen balance: A nested cohort study of the TARGET protein trial  Journal of Critical Care

The impact of an intensive care telemedicine program on weaning from invasive ventilation: a secondary analysis of the ERIC trial  Critical Care

The LoVe score: Development and validation of a bedside clinical index to identify patients at risk for prolonged invasive mechanical ventilation  Journal of the Intensive Care Society

Treatment and outcomes of difficult-to-treat Stenotrophomonas maltophilia pneumonia in the intensive care unit: a multinational retrospective cohort study  Critical Care

Ultra-early versus early adjunctive vasopressin initiation after norepinephrine escalation in septic shock: a target trial emulation  Intensive Care Medicine

Use of pH Testing to Confirm Feeding Tube Placement: A Quality Improvement Project  Critical Care Nurse

Vancomycin optimised dosing regimens for critically ill patients receiving renal replacement therapy  Critical Care

Vibrating mesh nebuliser positioning during helmet CPAP: A thermo-hygrometric bench-top study  Intensive and Critical Care Nursing

When trauma turns septic: Associated factors and focus-specific mortality in 61,399 patients from the TraumaRegister DGU®  Journal of Critical Care

 

Metadata

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