A compendium of critical appraisals in Intensive Care Medicine research and related specialties
A category to collect all the summaries, so that they can be used in menus and widgets. Please don’t expand this – “Specialties” and “Special Topics” have been created as a custom category sets for the clinical topics.
In adults receiving vasopressors for septic shock, does a hospital strategy recommending vasopressin initiation at a lower or higher dose of other vasopressors, reduce 28-day mortality?
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Conservative Oxygen for Unresponsive Patients after Cardiac Arrest The LOGICAL Investigators and the Australian and New Zealand Intensive Care Society Clinical Trials Group. NEJM. 2026. doi: 10.1056/NEJMoa2513814 Clinical Question In patients who are unresponsive after cardiac arrest, does limiting oxygen exposure to achieve acceptable oxygenation increase the likelihood of surviving with a favourable functional outcome Background Brain damage and unfavourable […]
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Sodium Bicarbonate for Metabolic Acidosis in the Intensive Care Unit (SODa-BIC) trial The SODa-BIC Investigators and the Australian and New Zealand Intensive Care Society Clinical Trials Group. NEJM 2026; doi: 10.1056/NEJMoa2600526 Clinical Question In critically ill adults with metabolic acidosis (pH < 7.30) receiving vasopressors, does sodium bicarbonate decrease the risk of major adverse kidney events within 30 days compared […]
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Liberal or Restrictive Postoperative Transfusion in Patients at High Cardiac Risk: The TOP Randomized Clinical Trial Kougias P. JAMA 2025;334:2197-2207. doi:10.1001/jama.2025.20841 Clinical Question In high cardiac risk adults who develop postoperative anaemia following vascular or general surgery, does a liberal transfusion threshold (Hb <10 g/dL) compared to a restrictive transfusion threshold (Hb <7 g/dL) reduce 90‑day incidence of all‑cause death, […]
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LIBERATE-D – A Conservative Dialysis Strategy and Kidney Function Recovery in Dialysis-Requiring Acute Kidney Injury: The Liberation From Acute Dialysis (LIBERATE-D) Randomized Clinical Trial Liu KD, Siew ED, Tuot DS, Vijayan A, Umemoto GM, Birkelo BC, et al. JAMA. 2026;335(4):326–335. doi:10.1001/jama.2025.21530 Clinical Question In clinically stable adults with AKI-D receiving IHD and expected to require outpatient dialysis after discharge, does […]
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A preventive care strategy to reduce moderate or severe acute kidney injury after major surgery (BigpAK-2); a multinational, randomised clinical trial Zarbock. The Lancet 2025. doi: 10.1016/S0140-6736(25)01717-9 Clinical Question In patients at high risk of AKI undergoing major surgery, does a preventative care strategy based on KDIGO guidelines, compared to standard care lead to a reduction in moderate/severe AKI within […]
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Effect of Automated Closed-Loop Ventilation vs Protocolized Conventional Ventilation on Ventilator-Free Days in Critically Ill Adults: A Randomized Clinical Trial Sinnige J. JAMA 2025. doi:10.1001/jama.2025.24384 Clinical Question Among critically ill mechanically ventilated adults, does early use of an automated closed-loop ventilation system (INTELLiVENT-ASV) increase ventilator-free days at day 28 (VFD-28) compared with protocolled conventional ventilation (CV)? Background Mechanical ventilation carries […]
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Extracorporeal Carbon Dioxide Removal to Avoid Invasive Ventilation During Exacerbations of Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease: VENT-AVOID Trial – A Randomized Clinical Trial Duggal et al. 2024; American Journal of Respiratory and Critical Care Medicine March 1, 2024 Pages xv-616 Clinical Question In patients with acute exacerbations of COPD who are either failing noninvasive ventilation (NIV) or failing to wean from […]
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Intermittent pneumatic compression can reduce the incidence of upper extremity venous thrombosis after peripherally inserted central catheter placement in traumatic brain injury patients: A randomised control trial Liang et al. Australian Critical Care 2025; 38(6). doi:10.1016/j.aucc.2025.101308 Clinical Question In patients with traumatic brain injury (TBI) on neurointensive care with peripherally-inserted central catheters (PICC), does the use of upper-limb intermittent pneumatic […]
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Positive communication for decreasing burnout in intensive‑care‑unit staff: a cluster‑randomized trial Azoulay @ElieAzoulay5. Intensive Care Med, 2025; 51:2031-2041. doi.org/10.1007/s00134-025-08134-2 Clinical Question In ICU healthcare professionals, does a multicomponent positive communication intervention, compared with usual care, reduce the prevalence of occupational burnout? Background Burnout prevalence in healthcare professionals in ICU is high Recent international reports have prioritised targeting burnout Observational studies […]
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