Welcome to the 567th Critical Care Reviews Newsletter, bringing you the best critical care research and open access articles from across the medical literature over the past seven days. The highlights of this week's edition are randomised controlled trials investigating IV vasoactive intestinal peptide (Aviptadil) in critical COVID-19 respiratory failure & alkalinization of the oral cavity by sodium bicarbonate mouth wash to decrease ventilator-associated pneumonia in traumatic brain injury patients; systematic reviews and meta analyses on microaxial left ventricular assist device in cardiogenic shock & PEEP titration by EIT strategies for patients with ARDS; and observational studies on the clinical presentation and outcomes of acute heart failure in the critically ill patient & high arterial oxygen levels and supplemental oxygen administration in traumatic brain injury.

There are also guidelines on the diagnosis and treatment of severe and critical coronavirus disease 2019 & acute mesenteric ischemia; narrative reviews on therapeutic advances in COVID-19 & intravenous fluids in patients with severe acute pancreatitis; an editorial on assessing left ventricular function; and commentaries on the management of oliguria & the experiences of the Data Monitoring Committee for the RECOVERY trial.

If you only have time to read one review article this week, try this one on non-invasive ventilation for acute hypoxemic respiratory failure.

PILOT Trial Results Livestream - Monday, October 24th

Tonight at 8pm (UTC+1) we will be livestreaming the results presentation of the PILOT trial, a 2,250-patient cluster-randomized cluster-crossover trial comparing a lower SpO₂ target (90%; range 88-92%), an intermediate SpO₂ target (94%; range 92-96%), and a higher SpO₂ target (98%; range 96-100%). The primary outcome is days alive and free of invasive mechanical ventilation. The trial results will be presented by Matthew Semler (Nashville, USA) and the editorial by Paul Young (Wellington, New Zealand). Our panel discussion includes the chief investigators for three of the most recent general oxygenation target trials - Angelique de Man (Amsterdam, The Netherlands; O2-ICU trial), Bodil Steen Rasmussen (Aalborg, Denmark; HOT-ICU trial) and Gilles Capellier (Besançon, France; LOCO2 trial), as well as Victoria Cornelius (London, England), as our expert methodologist & statistician. As usual, this will be a full, free livestream, including results, independent editorial, viewers questions and expert panel discussion. The Twitter hashtag will be #PILOTtrial. 1.5 CPD / CME points are available for this event, courtesy of the Royal College of Anaesthetists in the UK. There is a small charge for this, which helps cover the costs of the livestream.

CCR23 - June 14th to 16th

Registration for the Critical Care Reviews Meeting 2023 is now open. If you are interested in the latest major trials in critical care, this is the meeting for you. CCR22 attracted in-person delegates from 26 countries, so if you want to attend this niche event, it's best to book early. For those who can't attend in-person, we will livestream the entire conference for free, ensuring equity of access to the latest scientific advances in our field. However, nothing quite beats the anticipation of being in Titanic Belfast to hear the results of the latest landmark trials presented for the first time and discussed in depth by an expert panel and audience.

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