The critical care literature 2022

• Published in: The American journal of emergency medicine Vol. 80; pp. 123 - 131
• Main Authors: Winters, Michael E., Hu, Kami, Martinez, Joseph P., Mallemat, Haney, Brady, William J.
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: United States Elsevier Inc 01.06.2024; Elsevier Limited
• Subjects: Cardiac arrest; Cardiac arrhythmia; Cardiopulmonary resuscitation; COVID-19; COVID-19 - epidemiology; COVID-19 - therapy; CPR; Critical care; Critical Care - methods; Critical Illness - therapy; Drug dosages; Emergency medical care; Emergency Service, Hospital; Etiology; Fluid resuscitation; Heart; Humans; Intubation; Length of stay; Mechanical ventilation; Pandemics; Patients; Post-cardiac arrest care; Rapid sequence; Resuscitation - methods; SARS-CoV-2; Sepsis; Ventilation; Ventilators; Rapid sequence; Cardiac arrest; Sepsis; Post-cardiac arrest care; Intubation; Fluid resuscitation; Mechanical ventilation
• ISSN: 0735-6757; 1532-8171; 1532-8171
• DOI: 10.1016/j.ajem.2024.03.028

The number of critically ill patients that present to emergency departments across the world has risen steadily for nearly two decades. Despite a decrease in initial emergency department (ED) volumes early in the COVID-19 pandemic, the proportion of critically ill patients is now higher than pre-pandemic levels [1]. The emergency physician (EP) is often the first physician to evaluate and resuscitate a critically ill patient. In addition, EPs are frequently tasked with providing critical care long beyond the initial resuscitation. Prolonged boarding of critically ill patients in the ED is associated with increased duration of mechanical ventilation, increased intensive care unit (ICU) length of stay, increased hospital length of stay, increased medication-related adverse events, and increased in-hospital, 30-day, and 90-day mortality [2–4]. Given the continued increase in critically ill patients along with the increases in boarding critically ill patients in the ED, it is imperative for the EP to be knowledgeable about recent literature in resuscitation and critical care medicine, so that critically ill patients continue to receive evidence-based care. This review summarizes important articles published in 2022 that pertain to the resuscitation and management of select critically ill ED patients. These articles have been selected based on the authors review of key critical care, resuscitation, emergency medicine, and medicine journals and their opinion of the importance of study findings as it pertains to the care of the critically ill ED patient. Topics covered in this article include cardiac arrest, post-cardiac arrest care, rapid sequence intubation, mechanical ventilation, fluid resuscitation, and sepsis.