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ESICM Hot Topics Session 2025

Major trials and studies presented from Munich

Arterial catheter being placed

EVERDAC Trial

Muller. Deferring Arterial Catheterization in Critically Ill Patients with Shock. N Engl J Med 2025; epublished October 29th
Editorial: Gershengorn. A Less Invasive Approach to Intensive Care. N Engl J Med 2025; epublished October 29th

Finger capillary refill

ANDROMEDA-SHOCK 2

ANDROMEDA-SHOCK-2 Investigators. Personalized Hemodynamic Resuscitation Targeting Capillary Refill Time in Early Septic Shock—the ANDROMEDA-SHOCK-2 Randomized Clinical Trial. JAMA 2025; epublished October 29th
Editorial: Machado. Capillary Refill Time in Sepsis—Searching for the Holy Grail. JAMA 2025; epublished October 29th

Hydrocortisone tablet

SONIA Trial

8.4% sodium bicarbonate vial

BICARICU-2 Trial

Antibiotic tablet

SuDDICU Trial

The SuDDICU Investigators. Selective Decontamination of the Digestive Tract during Ventilation in the ICU. N Engl J Med 2025; epublished October 29th

ICU at night

SOFA-2 Score

Added October 29th

European Resuscitation Council Guidelines 2025

CPR being performed

ILCOR 2025 Evidence Summary

AHA 2025 Guidelines

added October 22nd

CCR Blog

Vitamin C - A Love Story

Vitamin C in critical illness has always hinted at more than scurvy’s salvation. From Lind’s lemons to Linus Pauling’s promise to an ICU cocktail that briefly looked like a cure, the arc swings between elegant biology and stubborn clinical reality. We track the enzymes and endothelium, the catecholamines and carnitine, and the redox alchemy that can both shield and scorch. Then we meet the trials—VITAMINS neutral, LOVIT unnerving—and ask why sepsis would not yield while burns, post-arrest care, and megadose strategies still tempt inquiry. This piece follows the CCR thread through Belfast to Melbourne, where VITaCCA may yet decide whether our romance with ascorbate is requited or finally unmasked.

Added October 16th

CCR Down Under 2025 Trials to Date

Join us in Melbourne, December 9th & 10th, to discuss the best critical care trials in the world

Early Rehabilitation in Patients on Extracorporeal Membrane Oxygenation

Personalised Immunotherapy in Sepsis - A Precision Medicine Approach

Cryopreserved vs Liquid Platelets for Surgical Bleeding

Effect of automated closed-loop ventilation versus conventional ventilation on duration and quality of ventilation in critically ill patients

Standard low-flow oxygen vs high flow nasal oxygen vs CPAP in hypoxaemic respiratory failure in Africa

Remote multicomponent rehabilitation compared to standard care for survivors of critical illness after hospital discharge

Etomidate vs Ketamine for Rapid Sequence Intubation

Early high-dose vitamin C in post-cardiac arrest syndrome

Journal Watch Latest

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Sample Issue

Guideline

Brain Trauma Foundation Guidelines for the Management of Penetrating Traumatic Brain Injury, Second Edition

added October 27th

image: Shutterstock / Tomatheart

Narrative Review

Mottale. The metabolic response to stress in critical illness: updated review on the pathophysiological mechanisms, consequences, and therapeutic implications. Ann Intensive Care 2025;15:174

added October 27th

image: Shutterstock /

Finger capillary refill

Randomised Controlled Trial

Pettilä. Targeted Tissue Perfusion Versus Macrocirculatory-Guided Standard Care in Patients With Septic Shock: A Randomized Clinical Trial-The TARTARE-2S Trial. Crit Care Med 2025;epublished October 17th

added October 17th

image: Shutterstock / ivvv1975

Mechanically ventilated ICU Patient

Randomised Controlled Trial

Khan. Slow-tempo music and delirium/coma-free days among older adults undergoing mechanical ventilation: a randomized clinical trial. JAMA Intern Med 2025;epublished Oct 13th

added October 17th

image: Shutterstock / ME_Image

Isoflurane vaporiser

Systematic Review & Meta Analysis

Su. Is volatile sedation truly associated with increased mortality in mechanically ventilated critically ill adults compared to intravenous sedation? Moving beyond pairwise meta-analysis to individual agent assessment via Bayesian network meta-analysis. Crit Care 2025;29:435

added October 17th

image: Shutterstock / Zay Nyi Nyi

Peripheral intra venous callula being flushed

Systematic Review & Meta Analysis

Petros. Peripheral line for vasopressor administration: prospective multicenter observational cohort study for survival and safety. PLoS One 2025;20(10):e0333275

added October 17th

image: Shutterstock / Casa-nayafana

CPR ongoing

Narrative Reviews

Zhang. Thrombolytic therapy efficacy in cardiopulmonary resuscitation: investigating the effect of recombinant tissue plasminogen activator. Mol Med Rep 2025;32:335

added October 17th

image: Shutterstock / urbans

Open heart surgery

Narrative Review

Jain. Post-operative infection treatment in cardiac surgery: current practices and future directions. Perioper Med 2025;14:110

added October 17th

image: Shutterstock / Pitchyfoto

CCR Meeting Talks

After 14 meetings, we have a huge collection of superb presentations. We'll showcase them here, one at a time.

CCR22

LOVIT Trial Review

Francois Lamontagne and Neill Adhikari present the results of the LOVIT trial, investigating vitamin C in patients with sepsis.

added October 17th

CCR Content

Box of frusemide ampoules

Paper of the Day

Coppola. Diuretics in critically ill patients: a narrative review of their mechanisms and applications. Br J Anaesth 2025;134(6):1638-1647

Friday, October 31st

CRRT machine

Highlighted Narrative Reviews

Hydroxyethyl starch fluid hanging from a drip stand

Foundational Trials