Critical Connections Blog

2022 Critical Care Congress Thought Leaders: Critical Care Nurses and COVID-19
John J. Gallagher, DNP, RN, CCNS, CCRN-K, TCRN, RRT, FCCM, will bring his experiences and teaching enjoyment to SCCM’s 2022 Critical Care Congress, where he will lead the thought leader session “Critical Care Nurses and COVID-19.”
Posted: 1/13/2022 | 0 comments | 2022 Congress, Congress, COVID-19, Nursing, The Future of Critical Care

SCCM 2022 Critical Care Congress Is Now Virtual
SCCM has announced the cancelation of the 2022 Critical Care Congress in-person event and the postponement of the virtual event to April 18 through 21, 2022.
Posted: 1/10/2022 | 0 comments | 2022 Congress, Congress

2022 Critical Care Congress Thought Leaders: Genetics and Genomics
During the 2022 Critical Care Congress, Karin Reuter-Rice, PhD, NP, FAAN, FCCM, will talk about precision health, and specifically the role omic technologies play in critical care in a thought leader session titled “Genetics and Genomics.”
Posted: 12/17/2021 | 0 comments | Basic Science, Congress, Genetics, Genomics, The Future of Critical Care

Managing Moral Distress During a Pandemic
To help understand what moral distress looks like and how to manage and prevent it, the Society of Critical Care Medicine recently hosted the webcast Managing Moral Distress During a Pandemic.
Posted: 12/17/2021 | 0 comments | COVID-19, Moral Distress, Well-Being

COVID-19 Experiences from the Front Lines
With the average rate of daily new cases of COVID-19 on the rise—and the delta and omicron variants causing concern—the Society of Critical Care Medicine (SCCM) asked members in states with high rates of infection to share their experience and advice. Here are some of their insights.
Posted: 12/16/2021 | 0 comments | COVID-19, COVID-19 Member Stories

2022 Critical Care Congress Plenary: Cultivating Leadership from Within
Beth A. Wathen, CCRN-K, MSN, RN, is the current president of the American Association of Critical-Care Nurses (AACN), the world’s largest specialty nursing organization. Ms. Wathen has had the unique opportunity to support critical care nurses personally and professionally in the midst of the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic. Since becoming president in July, she has balanced the need to continue moving the association forward with recognizing the realities of exhaustion among critical care clinicians.
Posted: 12/16/2021 | 0 comments | 2022 Congress, Congress, Early Career, Nursing, Staff Shortages, Well-Being

Best Practices for Managing Staff Shortages
In SCCM's webcast “Best Practices for Managing Staff Shortages,” a multiprofessional panel of experts discussed how staffing challenges arise in overwhelmed healthcare systems and how they have managed staff shortages.
Posted: 12/16/2021 | 0 comments | Burnout, COVID-19, Resource Allocation, Staff Shortages

Preparing Adult Clinicians to Treat Pediatric Patients
With the rise in cases among children across the country, more healthcare professionals who typically work with adult patients are being tasked with treating pediatric patients. SCCM’s latest blog post summarizes two webcasts SCCM hosted to help smooth this transition.
Posted: 12/10/2021 | 0 comments | Coronavirus, COVID-19, Fundamentals, pediatrics

Concise Critical Appraisal: Rapid Implementation of an Intensivist-Led VV ECMO Cannulation Program
This Concise Critical Appraisal explores an article published in Critical Care Medicine on a program at Cooper University Hospital in Camden, New Jersey, USA, that implemented a previously published successful ECMO model, in which ECMO cannulation primarily performed by cardiothoracic surgeons is transitioned to medical intensivist-led cannulation. This article is significant in advancing the role of the medical intensivist in the cannulation of patients who require ECMO.
Posted: 12/7/2021 | 0 comments | ARDS, Concise Critical Appraisal, ECMO

SCCM Donations Fund Tele-Critical Care Project
On August 14, a 7.2-magnitude earthquake rattled the nation of Haiti, killing more than 2200 people and leaving thousands of Haitians injured and in need of assistance.¹ Beyond the casualties, 66 health facilities were either damaged or destroyed, putting an impossible burden on an already fragile healthcare system.¹
Posted: 12/1/2021 | 0 comments | Disaster Response, Emergency Response, Telemedicine

Let’s look into the future of critical care together!
As the Society of Critical Care Medicine (SCCM) winds down its 50th year, its leadership continues to celebrate the dedication and vision of SCCM members in sustaining its journey. 
Posted: 11/29/2021 | 0 comments | The Future of Critical Care

2022 Critical Care Congress Thought Leaders: The Future of Critical Care
Rebecca A. Aslakson, MD, PhD, and Michelle N. Gong, MD, MS, will present a thought leader session titled “The Future of Critical Care: Artificial Intelligence to Zoom Family Meetings” during the 2022 Critical Care Congress.
Posted: 11/22/2021 | 0 comments | 2022 Congress, Congress, The Future of Critical Care

Innovating Consistency in Care Through the STOP-VIRUS ICU Learning Collaborative
In the preliminary analysis of the VIRUS COVID-19 Registry of Discovery, the Critical Care Research Network, investigators discovered significant variations in mortality that were not readily explained by patient comorbidities, demographics, or severity of illness. It became evident that much of the disparity in outcomes was tied to variations in processes of care from one intensive care unit (ICU) to another. This realization inspired the creation of the STOP-VIRUS Learning Collaborative, which seeks to help participants rapidly evaluate and effectively implement best practice recommendations from the ever-evolving body of knowledge related to the care of critically ill patients with COVID-19.
Posted: 10/21/2021 | 1 comments | Coronavirus, COVID-19, STOP VIRUS

Critical Care and Pulmonary Societies Encourage Flu Shots Amid COVID-19 Spread
The members of the Critical Care Societies Collaborative, which are the American Association of Critical-Care Nurses (AACN), American College of Chest Physicians (CHEST), American Thoracic Society (ATS), and Society of Critical Care Medicine (SCCM), strongly urge people to get vaccinated against the COVID-19 virus and to receive their influenza (flu) immunizations for the upcoming flu season.
 
Posted: 10/19/2021 | 0 comments |

Concise Critical Appraisal: Epinephrine Dosing Intervals on Outcomes From Pediatric In-Hospital Cardiac Arrest
The average annual incidence of pediatric in-hospital cardiac arrest (IHCA) has recently been estimated at more than 15,000 cases.¹ Survival rates for pediatric patients who have had pulseless cardiac arrest have remained below 50% for the past decade.^2,3 The American Heart Association currently recommends epinephrine, the cornerstone medication for cardiac arrest, dosed every 3 to 5 minutes in adult and pediatric cardiac arrest, although there is conflicting evidence about whether this is the best interval.^4,5 Epinephrine is believed to acutely increase coronary perfusion pressure by increasing diastolic blood pressure (DBP).
Posted: 10/14/2021 | 0 comments | Cardiovascular, Concise Critical Appraisal, pediatrics

SARI-PREP Research Collaborative Aims To Revolutionize the Future
Groundbreaking study of hospitalized COVID-19 and influenza patients charts new path in critical care research
 
Severe Acute Respiratory Infection – Preparedness (SARI-PREP) is a groundbreaking new research platform from SCCM’s Discovery, the Critical Care Research Network, that is leading the way in revolutionizing how critical care research is conducted in the United States. It will inform clinical management of patients with severe acute respiratory infection (SARI) and help ensure that health systems are better prepared for future pandemics.
Posted: 10/8/2021 | 2 comments | COVID-19, Discovery Research Network

Surviving Sepsis Campaign Releases 2021 Adult Sepsis Guidelines
Updated global adult sepsis guidelines, released by the Surviving Sepsis Campaign (SSC), place an increased emphasis on improving the care of sepsis patients after they are discharged from the intensive care unit (ICU) and represent greater geographic and gender diversity than previous versions. The updated guidelines are especially important today, as many who are seriously ill with COVID-19 are particularly vulnerable to sepsis.
 
Posted: 10/4/2021 | 0 comments |

Remembering a Founder: Ake Grenvik, MD, PhD, MCCM
Ake Grenvik, MD, PhD, MCCM, a founding member of the Society of Critical Care Medicine (SCCM) and one of the earliest pioneers of critical care, died on September 5, 2021. He was 92.
Posted: 9/9/2021 | 14 comments |

ICU Liberation: How Pharmacists Can Champion Change and Improve Outcomes
Joanna L. Stollings, PharmD, FCCP, FCCM, and Devin N. Holden, PharmD, BCPS, BCCCP, summarize how pharmacists can play an important role in the development and implementation of each element of the ICU Liberation Bundle (A-F).
Posted: 9/9/2021 | 0 comments | ICU Liberation, ICU Liberation Bundle (A-F)

Concise Critical Appraisal: Awake Prone Positioning For COVID-19 Acute Hypoxemic Respiratory Failure
This Concise Critical Appraisal explores an article in The Lancet Respiratory Medicine that evaluated the efficacy of awake prone positioning to prevent intubation or death in patients with severe COVID-19. This meta-trial used a new study design that allowed for the combination of six simultaneous national randomized, controlled, open-label trials.
Posted: 9/9/2021 | 0 comments | Concise Critical Appraisal, Coronavirus, COVID-19, Proning, respiratory