Foundational Trials Collection
Introducing our latest resource – Foundational Trials in Critical Care. Replacing our old Top 100 Trials, this new collection presents the trials that underpin modern intensive care practice.
All trials are fully appraised in the same systematic manner, allowing clinicians to easily follow every trial. If you are new to critical care, need a resource to guide those new to the field, or just want to refresh your knowledge, then enjoy reading our Foundational Trials Collection.
We’ll release one most days, starting with arguably the most impactful trial of them all – ARMA.
Latest Randomised Trials
- Mekontso Dessap. Melatonin for prevention of delirium in patients receiving mechanical ventilation in the intensive care unit: a multiarm multistage adaptive randomized controlled clinical trial (DEMEL). Intensive Care Med 2025;epublished July 3rd
- Jiao. Randomized Trial of Early vs Standard Renal Replacement Therapy in Patients With Acute Kidney Injury After Type A Aortic Dissection. Ann Thorac Surg 2025;120(1):17-24
- Shehabi. Postoperative 20% Albumin Infusion and Acute Kidney Injury in High-Risk Cardiac Surgery Patients: The ALBICS AKI Randomized Clinical Trial. JAMA Surg 2025;epublished June 11th
- Goret. Impact of Noninvasive Ventilation Before and After Cardiac Surgery for Preventing Cardiac and Pulmonary Complications. A Clinical Randomized Trial. Chest 2025;167(6):1727-1736
Last updated July 4th
Latest Meta Analyses
- Cao. Efficacy and safety of corticosteroids in critically ill patients: a systematic review and meta-analysis. BMC Anesthesiol 2025;25(1):319
- Song. Fluid resuscitation in adults with severe infection and sepsis: a systematic review and network meta-analysis. Front Med (Lausanne) 2025;12:1543586
- Chuang. Diagnostic performances of procalcitonin and C-reactive protein for sepsis: a systematic review and meta-analysis. Eur J Emerg Med 2025;32(4):248-258
- Diz. Effect of Treatment With Balanced Crystalloids Versus Normal Saline on the Mortality of Critically Ill Patients With and Without Traumatic Brain Injury: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis. Anesth Analg 2025;141(1):152-161
Last updated July 2nd
Latest Observational Studies
- Serpa-Neto. Regional Practice Variation in the Management of Renal Replacement Therapy Modalities in the STARRT-AKI Trial. Blood Purif 2025;epublished July 1st
- Sunthankar. Methylprednisolone for Infant Heart Surgery: Subpopulation Analyses of a Randomized Controlled Trial. Crit Care Med 2025;53(7):e1470-e1480
- Izawa. High Normocapnia and Better Functional Outcome in Patients Undergoing Venoarterial Extracorporeal Membrane Oxygenation After Out-of-Hospital Cardiac Arrest. Chest 2025;167(6):1639-1650
- Shekhar. Prehospital Cricothyrotomy for Emergency Airway Management. Chest 2025;167(6):1684-1686
Last updated July 2nd
Latest Guidelines
- 2025 ESVM Guidelines on interventional treatment of venous thromboembolism. Vasa 2025;epublished June 30th
- Forero-Delgadillo. Colombian consensus on the care of critically ill patients with suspected or confirmed severe yellow fever. Lancet Reg Health Am 2025;48:101144
- Adams. CALM ICU guidelines: Preliminary guidelines on non-pharmacological strategies for agitation in the ICU − A Delphi study. Intensive Crit Care Nurs 2025;90:104135
- Le Marechal. Detection, evaluation and management of the sequelae of infectious encephalitis in adults. Infectious Diseases Now 2025;epublished June 26th
Last updated July 2nd
Latest Narrative Reviews
- Fujishima. Current corticosteroid therapeutic strategy for community-acquired pneumonia in adults: indications, dosage, and timing. J Intensive Care 2025;13:37
- Noor. Point-of-Care Ultrasound Use in Hemodynamic Assessment. Biomedicines 2025;13:1426
- Russotto. Airway management in critically ill patients. BJA Education 2025;epublished June 30th
- Murugaiyan. Current trends in neurocritical care: a comprehensive review. J Neurocrit Care 2025;18(1):1-15
Last updated July 2nd
Latest Editorials
- Demiselle. Hemodynamic targets in the initial resuscitation of older patients with sepsis: time for a reappraisal?. Intensive Care Med 2025;epublished July 3rd
- Ostermann. Renal tubular epithelial cells: A revived kidney biomarker?. Intensive Care Med 2025;epublished June 30th
- Annetta. The never-ending confusion between subclavian vein and axillary vein. J Vasc Access 2025;epublished June 27th
- Malvindi. The 10 Commandments of On-Table Extubation After Cardiac Surgery: Why and How to Increase Adoption. Innovations 2025;epublished June 30th
- Ng. Re-defining ‘clinical reasoning’. Intern Med J 2025;epublished July 1st
Last updated July 4th
Latest Commentaries
- Malyszko. DEFENDER trial: dapagliflozin for critically ill patients with acute organ dysfunction—implications for clinicians. Nephrol Dial Transplant 2025;40(7):1267–1269
- Kellum. Rinaldo Bellomo, MD (1956–2025). Blood Purif 2025;epublished June 26th
- Tripathy. Green intensive care: reimplementing what LMICs have long practised. Lancet Glob Health 2025;13(7):e1166-e1167
- Alghaith. Young ERC Masterclass Journal Club Article: The TOMAHAWK trial. Resuscitation Plus 2025;epublished June 25th
Last updated July 4th
CCR Down Under 2025

Registration has opened for CCR Down Under in Melbourne, on December 9th and 10th, again at the Edge in Federation Square.
We aim to bring another set of fantastic international critical care trials to Australia. If you are interested in the science underlying clinical practice, this is the meeting for you.
We're delighted to be partnering once again with the Alfred Intensive Care Academic Centre, and this year, with Monash University.
If you missed the presentations last December, the presentations of the so far published trials are available here.



CCR Content

Paper of the Day
Saturday, July 5th
Join us to read one paper per day and cover the spectrum of critical care across 2025. Previous papers of the day are available here.

Foundational Trials
We start a new section looking at the foundation trials in critical care and start with probably the most important trial yet in the field.
added July 2nd

Newsletter 707
Critical Care Reviews Newsletter 707, bringing you the best critical care research and open access articles for the week June 23rd to 29th.
Subscriptions are available to individuals and departments.
added June 30th
CCR Meeting Talks
After 14 meetings, we have a huge collection of superb presentations. We'll showcase them here, one at a time.
CCR25
John Hinds Lecture
Prof John Myburgh delivers a remarkable John Hinds Lecture at the Critical Care Reviews Meeting 2025, titled Ukuthola Ubuhle