https://medicalxpress.com/critical-care-medicine-news/ en-us Latest medical news and research in Critical care medicine When a patient is admitted to a hospital emergency room with a life-threatening medical condition, the first order of business is to get that patient to a stable state. After that happens, it is standard medical practice for doctors to initiate what's known as a serious illness conversation, which gives both the physician and patient an opportunity to discuss goals of care, treatment and end-of-life wishes before a medical crisis makes those conversations impossible. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2026-07-ai-doctors-difficult-conversations-critically.html Wed, 22 Jul 2026 07:00:01 EDT news703920661 Despite the best efforts of intensive care unit (ICU) staff and physicians and the most advanced life support, Dr. Bryan Yipp, witnesses many deaths in the ICU attributed to sepsis. "Sepsis is the body's overwhelming immune response to an infection, and sometimes that response can cause death," says Yipp, a critical care physician and clinician-scientist at the Cumming School of Medicine. "While many cases involve people with long-term illnesses, seemingly healthy people can be at work or home one moment and then, within hours, be admitted to the ICU." https://medicalxpress.com/news/2026-07-cellular-behavioromics-reveals-immune-cells.html Tue, 21 Jul 2026 16:40:05 EDT news703863796 From the emergency department (ED) to the intensive care unit (ICU), a clear, collaborative admission process at a Tennessee hospital cut in half the time newly admitted critically ill patients waited to receive specialized care, even as they waited in the ED for an ICU bed to become available. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2026-07-collaborative-icu-admissions-ed.html Wed, 15 Jul 2026 17:20:03 EDT news703339921 A new national clinical trial is helping reshape the future of recovery research for critically ill patients, providing important new evidence about how rehabilitation and nutrition interventions should be delivered during severe illness and informing the next generation of research to improve ICU survivors' outcomes. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2026-07-trial-combined-nutrition-intervention-safe.html Mon, 13 Jul 2026 17:20:01 EDT news703173858 A study led by biomedical scientist Erica Heinrich at the University of California, Riverside, highlights a critical gap in how clinicians detect and treat breathing distress (dyspnea), particularly in patients on ventilators. The research is published in the journal Respiratory Physiology & Neurobiology. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2026-07-oxygen-severe-breathlessness-driven-carbon.html Sun, 12 Jul 2026 17:00:01 EDT news702746063 People who've been severely injured in an accident might have a lower risk of death if doctors pump them full of vitamin C, a new evidence review says. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2026-07-iv-vitamin-boost-recuperation-trauma.html Tue, 07 Jul 2026 08:00:08 EDT news702626943 A noninvasive neuromodulation technology has received Breakthrough Device Designation from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) for reducing a dangerous narrowing of blood vessels in the brain that can follow a brain bleed from a ruptured aneurysm. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2026-07-aid-brain-recovery.html Tue, 07 Jul 2026 07:20:01 EDT news702624182 Patients experiencing life-threatening diabetic ketoacidosis (DKA) require quick action, diligent care and close monitoring as they receive insulin infusions and other medical interventions to bring their blood glucose and ketone levels back into balance. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2026-07-anion-gap-pragmatic-diabetic-ketoacidosis.html Thu, 02 Jul 2026 09:20:06 EDT news702201662 For patients struggling to breathe because of acute respiratory failure, clearing mucus from the airways is a routine part of treatment. Mucoactive agents are widely used for this purpose. But after years of clinical use, one question remains: Do mucoactive agents actually help? https://medicalxpress.com/news/2026-07-common-mucus-treatments-dont-icu.html Thu, 02 Jul 2026 09:20:01 EDT news702201781 Doctors have few options for patients who develop a life-threatening lung condition called acute respiratory distress syndrome, or ARDS. A frequent cause of death during the COVID-19 pandemic, ARDS occurs when an inflammatory cascade triggered by infection or injury leaks fluid into the lungs, crashing blood oxygen levels. Nearly 40% of people affected die. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2026-07-acute-respiratory-distress-syndrome-patients.html Wed, 01 Jul 2026 07:20:02 EDT news702101042 High doses of intravenous (IV) vitamin C may lower the risk of death and sepsis in trauma patients, as well as shorten hospital stays, a review of the available evidence published online in the journal BMJ Military Health suggests. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2026-06-high-dose-iv-vitamin-death.html Tue, 30 Jun 2026 18:30:01 EDT news701939565 A simple bedside eye test may help predict recovery of consciousness in patients with severe brain injuries, according to new research presented at the European Academy of Neurology (EAN) Congress 2026. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2026-06-eye-recovery-consciousness-severe-brain.html Sat, 27 Jun 2026 18:10:03 EDT news701696581 In a new clinical study from the University of California San Diego School of Medicine, researchers and physicians at UC San Diego Health have found that by utilizing artificial intelligence (AI), they could develop more timely and efficient assessments of care provided to patients with severe sepsis in the emergency department. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2026-06-leveraging-ai-resources-physicians-approach.html Thu, 25 Jun 2026 17:00:05 EDT news701619361 New research, published in The Journal of Immunology, identifies biomarkers of a distinct immune profile that could be used to identify patients at risk for chronic critical illness (CCI) on admission to the intensive care unit (ICU) after traumatic injury. Identifying which patients are at increased risk for CCI could allow doctors to intervene earlier, leading to shorter ICU stays and improved patient outcomes. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2026-06-biomarkers-icu-patients-chronic-critical.html Thu, 25 Jun 2026 00:10:01 EDT news701519461 Cambridge researchers have shown that severe pneumonia has three different subtypes, helping explain why some patients in intensive care units (ICUs) recover from their illness faster than others, while for other patients the disease can be life-threatening. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2026-06-discovery-severe-pneumonia-subtypes-tailored.html Tue, 23 Jun 2026 05:00:01 EDT news701340422 Researchers have developed an artificial intelligence-based patient monitoring system they say can identify signs of clinical deterioration earlier and more accurately than existing approaches. The system could help hospital staff intervene before a patient's condition becomes critical. Details are discussed in the International Journal of Ad Hoc and Ubiquitous Computing. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2026-06-ai-vital-outperforms-threshold-icu.html Wed, 17 Jun 2026 17:20:02 EDT news700921166 Remote monitoring isn't a panacea for reducing readmissions across all conditions—and for some patients, clinicians should proceed with caution, clinical trial results published in JAMA Network Open suggest. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2026-06-remote-readmissions-sepsis-trial.html Thu, 11 Jun 2026 10:30:01 EDT news700302841 Combining clinical expertise and experience with the vast and ever-increasing knowledge of artificial intelligence has the potential to transform health care by providing earlier diagnoses and predicting outcomes. However, today's AI has inherent risks of error or overconfidence in a prediction. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2026-06-clinical-ai-confident.html Mon, 08 Jun 2026 14:20:04 EDT news700143942 AI is already boosting positive outcomes in health care and holds promise for delivering many more. It is important, however, that deployment of AI tools—especially in a life-or-death health care setting—proceeds at a thoughtful and measured pace, cautions Shengpu Tang, assistant professor of computer science at Emory University. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2026-06-ai-sepsis-inflate-results-overtreatment.html Fri, 05 Jun 2026 13:40:03 EDT news699880623 A randomized clinical trial conducted across five countries in 47 pediatric emergency departments, including Ann & Robert H. Lurie Children's Hospital in Chicago, established that both commonly used IV fluids for treating septic shock—balanced crystalloid fluid and 0.9% saline—are equally safe and effective. Results were published in the New England Journal of Medicine. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2026-06-common-iv-fluids-equally-septic.html Fri, 05 Jun 2026 12:40:03 EDT news699879721 A research team led by the University of Waterloo has created a new monitoring system to save lives and significantly reduce health-care costs in brain-injury cases through the early detection of infections in intensive care units. A paper on the work, A platform for near real-time and multiplexed monitoring of cerebrospinal fluid biomarkers and flow in neurocritical care, was published in Science Translational Medicine. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2026-06-real-brain-infections-earlier.html Tue, 02 Jun 2026 12:20:02 EDT news699618481 Inova, the leading nonprofit health system in the Northern Virginia and Washington, D.C. metropolitan area, developed a novel dietitian-led program for the bedside placement of feeding tubes for critically ill patients. The goals were to reduce nursing workload and optimize patient safety. In addition, the system adopted an electromagnetic sensor-guided feeding tube (EMFT) system that allows clinicians to visualize the tube's path on a monitor for real-time positioning at the bedside. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2026-06-teamwork-technology-tube-placement.html Mon, 01 Jun 2026 11:40:01 EDT news699526321 A scientific review published in the NEJM Evidence journal, coordinated by the D'Or Institute for Research and Education (IDOR), evaluated outcomes of adults with community-acquired pneumonia (CAP) admitted to intensive care units (ICUs) in middle-income countries. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2026-05-exposes-major-inequalities-outcomes-community.html Wed, 27 May 2026 15:20:24 EDT news699111662 Researchers from the University of Otago—Faculty of Medicine—Christchurch Ōtautahi are calling for improved long-term psychological support for survivors of major trauma after landmark studies reveal many patients in Aotearoa New Zealand are struggling to access appropriate follow-up care. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2026-05-expose-hidden-toll-trauma-recovery.html Wed, 27 May 2026 11:00:10 EDT news699093661 A new Penn Nursing study suggests that the specific sedatives used during critical illness in early childhood may have long-term implications for a child's neurocognitive development. Martha A.Q. Curley, Ph.D., RN, FAAN, Professor in the Department of Family and Community Health, and the Ruth M. Colket Endowed Chair in Pediatric Nursing at Children's Hospital of Philadelphia, co-led the study with R. Scott Watson, MD, from Seattle Children's Hospital. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2026-05-sedative-choice-pediatric-intensive-term.html Tue, 19 May 2026 19:20:01 EDT news698429641 A UK-wide trial, managed by Warwick Medical School, finds that online rehabilitation at home can meaningfully improve quality of life for some intensive care survivors. The iRehab Trial tested an online rehabilitation program for people recovering at home after being on a ventilator in intensive care. The trial was conducted across 52 NHS hospitals and managed by Warwick Clinical Trials Unit, with leadership from Ulster University and Queen's University Belfast. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2026-05-clinical-trial-online-home-recovery.html Tue, 19 May 2026 16:40:08 EDT news698421122 A B.C.-led clinical research team is behind a study that could help improve care for critically ill patients in intensive care units worldwide. Researchers from Royal Columbian Hospital and Simon Fraser University have published findings in JAMA. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2026-05-clinical-trial-safer-critically-ill.html Tue, 19 May 2026 15:40:04 EDT news698415601 A smart-technology wearable wristband device may be able to automatically detect cardiac arrest, which could lead to faster medical assistance and increased survival odds when cardiac arrest occurs outside of a hospital, according to new research published in Circulation: Arrhythmia and Electrophysiology. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2026-05-smart-technology-wearable-wristband-cardiac.html Tue, 19 May 2026 05:00:03 EDT news698325422 Giving whole blood or the component parts of blood are equally effective options for paramedics and emergency medical technicians to use in treating patients with severe, traumatic bleeding before arriving at the hospital, according to a large, nationwide trial directed by University of Pittsburgh and UPMC clinicians and scientists. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2026-05-prehospital-trauma-flexible-option-blood.html Mon, 18 May 2026 15:10:02 EDT news698325241 A new study from scientists at the University of California San Diego in collaboration with the University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine, Johns Hopkins University, and other institutions, demonstrates that an artificial intelligence-powered CPR coaching agent can outperform 911 dispatchers in guiding bystanders through cardiopulmonary resuscitation. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2026-05-ai-powered-cpr-outperforms-dispatchers.html Mon, 18 May 2026 11:00:08 EDT news698056769