COVID-19 Blog Posts

World-Renowned Experts at the 2024 Critical Care Congress
SCCM is thrilled to bring world-renowned thought leaders to the 2024 Critical Care Congress to discuss innovative developments and hot topics in critical care. Read the thought leaders’ own previews of their upcoming sessions!
Posted: 11/3/2023 | 0 comments | 2024 Congress, Acute Respiratory Distress Syndrome ARDS, COVID-19, Fluids Resuscitation Management, Heart Transplantation, Research

Discovery and SARI-PREP Have Roles in Preparing for Next Pathogen Outbreak
The COVID-19 pandemic exposed major gaps in the U.S. healthcare system, prompting the National Emerging Special Pathogens Training and Education Center (NETEC) to form the National Special Pathogen System of Care (NSPS) to prepare the country for the next large-scale outbreak. Discovery, the Critical Care Research Network, and its Severe Acute Respiratory Infection – Preparedness (SARI-PREP) program are helping lead the way in this new vision. SARI-PREP is a key player in the effort to establish a coordinated and standardized healthcare network that provides high-quality care to parents with a special pathogen, while also protecting healthcare workers.
Posted: 10/14/2022 | 0 comments | COVID-19, Discovery Research Network, SARI-PREP

Concise Critical Appraisal: COVID-19 Pandemic Impacts Burnout Critical Care Professions Differently
The COVID-19 pandemic created a new challenging environment in which healthcare workers must survive. Before the pandemic, healthcare workers experienced burnout due to resource allocation and shortages, mental anguish, and long work hours. The pandemic further exacerbated this situation, creating a new crisis within our already frayed healthcare system. This Concise Critical Appraisal dives into an article published in Critical Care Medicine that reviewed the causes of burnout and the correlation between the COVID-19 pandemic and workplace burnout.
Posted: 7/22/2022 | 0 comments | Burnout, Concise Critical Appraisal, COVID-19

SCCM ICU Heroes: The Love Army
The ICU Heroes Award recognizes that patients and families are an integral part of intensive care unit (ICU) care. The award is given to an ICU patient and family and to the multiprofessional team that delivered the care.
Posted: 4/15/2022 | 0 comments | Awards, COVID-19, Patient and Family

2022 Critical Care Congress Plenary: Health System Readiness 2.0
Brendan G. Carr, MD, MA, MS, will address some of the realities of the COVID-19 pandemic and how health systems can prepare during the Peter Safar Memorial Lecture at the 2022 SCCM Congress.
Posted: 3/30/2022 | 0 comments | 2022 Congress, COVID-19, Disaster Preparedness

2022 Critical Care Congress Plenary: What Has COVID-19 Taught Us About ECMO?
Peta M.A. Alexander, MBBS, FRACP, FCICM, will present the Max Harry Weil Memorial Lecture titled, “What Has COVID-19 Taught Us About ECMO?” during SCCM’s 2022 Critical Care Congress.
Posted: 3/3/2022 | 0 comments | 2022 Congress, COVID-19, ECMO

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

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

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

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 | 0 comments | Coronavirus, COVID-19, STOP VIRUS

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 | 0 comments | COVID-19, Discovery Research Network

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

Prepare for a Surge of Pediatric Patients With COVID-19
With children going back to school, continued outbreaks of respiratory syncytial virus (RSV), and the upcoming flu season, it is important to prepare for potential surges of pediatric patients with COVID-19.
Posted: 8/26/2021 | 0 comments | Coronavirus, COVID-19, pediatrics

Ethical Considerations for a COVID-19 Vaccine Mandate

Mandate to vaccinate or nudge if there is no budge? COVID-19 vaccines remain a key weapon in the fight against the deadliest modern-day pandemic the world has seen. In this article, we summarize key facts and ethical considerations for healthcare organizations when considering a COVID-19 vaccine mandate for U.S. healthcare workers (HCW).

Posted: 6/17/2021 | 0 comments | Coronavirus, COVID-19, Ethics, Vaccines

An SCCM Member Responds to a Call for Volunteers
Before the COVID-19 pandemic, Tina R. Shah, MD, MPH, focused her work on two questions: How can technology help improve the United States health system and, more specifically, how can it be used to improve patient and practitioner well-being?
Posted: 6/4/2021 | 0 comments | COVID-19, COVID-19 Calls for Volunteers, COVID-19 Member Stories, Donor Supported

Johnson & Johnson’s Janssen COVID-19 Vaccine: What Clinicians Need to Know
In the past few weeks more than 7 million doses of Johnson & Johnson’s Janssen COVID-19 vaccine have been administered to people in the United States. In clinical trials of approximately 40,000 people, the J&J vaccine given as a single shot was 66% effective at preventing the illness due to the SARS-CoV-2 virus known as COVID-19. Because the J&J vaccine is a single shot, it has been preferred in some circumstances.
Posted: 4/16/2021 | 0 comments | Coronavirus, COVID-19, Vaccines

Concise Critical Appraisal: Surviving Sepsis Campaign COVID-19 Guidelines Update
The updated Surviving Sepsis Campaign (SSC) COVID-19 guidelines are now available, reflecting the learnings from the latest major studies. This month’s Concise Critical Appraisal dives into the update to outline the changes and new recommendations made by the international panel and discusses limitations of the available data.
Posted: 4/7/2021 | 0 comments | Concise Critical Appraisal, COVID-19, Surviving Sepsis Campaign

Discovery VIRUS Registry Outcomes and STOP-VIRUS ICU Learning Collaborative
The first outcomes of VIRUS were recently published in Critical Care Medicine. More than 20 manuscripts are being prepared for publication during the next several months. Additionally, sites have been invited to submit ancillary study ideas drawing on registry data. Of the 150 proposed, more than 60 have been approved.
 
Join the registry today and contribute to this important data collection.
Posted: 2/19/2021 | 0 comments | Coronavirus, COVID-19, Discovery Research Network, Statistics

Tocilizumab May Reduce Mortality in Certain COVID-19 Patients
Two recent trials suggest that immune-damping drugs such as tocilizumab may reduce mortality in patients with severe COVID-19.
Posted: 2/19/2021 | 0 comments | Coronavirus, COVID-19, Pharmacology, Therapies

A Shot in The Dark: COVID-19 Vaccine Update
A January 8, 2021, SCCM webcast focusing on COVD-19 vaccination served as a primer for healthcare professionals who will be among the first to receive vaccines.
Posted: 1/15/2021 | 0 comments | Coronavirus, COVID-19, Vaccines

The Difficult Path Ahead: We Hear You and Are Here for You
SCCM released a statement to media imploring the public to rise to the challenge and follow recommended public health measures, such as mask wearing, social distancing, hand hygiene, avoiding large groups and staying home as much as possible.
Posted: 11/20/2020 | 0 comments | COVID-19, Emergency Response, Mental Health, Resource Allocation

Concise Critical Appraisal: Is CPR Futile for COVID-19 Patients?
Is cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) futile in hospitalized patients with COVID-19 experiencing cardiac arrest? A study recently published in Critical Care Medicine sought to answer this question and provide more data around outcomes of in-hospital cardiac arrest in patients with COVID-19.
Posted: 11/11/2020 | 0 comments | Concise Critical Appraisal, COVID-19, Resuscitation

COVID-19: What’s Next: A Deeper Dive into Top Sessions
COVID-19: What’s Next, the first-of-its kind virtual conference hosted by the Society of Critical Care Medicine (SCCM), featured the newest research findings, epidemiologic models, and guideline updates for caring for patients with COVID-19 from specialists on the front lines.
Posted: 10/2/2020 | 0 comments | Coronavirus, COVID-19, Disaster, Proning, Resource Allocation, Ventilation

Concise Critical Appraisal: Dexamethasone Use in the Treatment of COVID-19
This Concise Critical Appraisal offers a look into the results of the RECOVERY trial published in the New England Journal of Medicine, which demonstrated that dexamethasone improved mortality in hospitalized patients with COVID-19.
Posted: 9/9/2020 | 0 comments | Concise Critical Appraisal, Coronavirus, COVID-19, Dexamethasone

SCCM Experts Weigh in on Latest COVID-19 Treatment Strategies
This article distills some of the challenges and lessons learned in key areas of COVID-19 management: convalescent plasma therapy and strategies for diabetes/hyperglycemia and myocarditis.
Posted: 9/4/2020 | 0 comments | Coronavirus, COVID-19, Treatments

PPE Strategies for the COVID-19 Era
The supply of personal protective equipment (PPE) has been uncertain since the start of the COVID-19 pandemic. Months into this healthcare crisis, supply chains are unpredictable as reports of shortages continue. Follow these key strategies for managing PPE.
Posted: 7/30/2020 | 0 comments | Coronavirus, COVID-19, Disaster, Disaster Response, Emergency Response, Pandemic

How to Maintain Wellness in the COVID-19 Era
Intensive care unit (ICU) clinicians tend to pride themselves on their ability to care for others, even if it is at the expense of taking care of themselves. Some think of this mantra of "others before me" as a badge of honor, according to James C. Jackson, PhD, PsyD, research professor and assistant director of the ICU Recovery Center at Vanderbilt University Medical Center. Dr. Jackson has a strong message to these clinicians: Now is not the time to dismiss your own needs.
Posted: 7/23/2020 | 0 comments | Coronavirus, COVID-19, Pandemic, Stress, Wellness

Configuring the ICU in the COVID-19 Era: Real-World Experience
Because all of us are learning as we go and hungry for insights from other healthcare professionals and facilities that have been treating patients who are critically ill with COVID-19, SCCM has created the report Configuring ICUs in the COVID-19 Era.
Posted: 7/6/2020 | 0 comments | Coronavirus, COVID-19, Disaster Response, Emergency Response, Pandemic

Countering COVID-19 Delirium with the ICU Liberation Bundle
The ICU liberation Bundle (formerly known as the A-F bundle) is more important than ever in the COVID-19 era. While the pandemic has changed much inside intensive care units (ICUs), the commitment to provide multiprofessional, high-quality care is unwavering.
Posted: 6/17/2020 | 0 comments | Coronavirus, COVID-19, Disaster Response, Emergency Response, ICU Liberation, Pandemic

SCCM and Its Members Rise to the COVID-19 Challenge
There is no doubt we are living in a new world. The COVID-19 pandemic is challenging organizations and individuals to react quickly and adapt overnight.
Posted: 5/27/2020 | 0 comments | Coronavirus, COVID-19

What Critical Care Clinicians Need to Know Today About MIS-C
Clinicians are sharing early findings about an emerging critical illness predominantly affecting school-aged children and young adults. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) has defined criteria, calling it Multisystem Inflammatory Syndrome in Children (MIS-C) Associated with COVID-19.
Posted: 5/22/2020 | 0 comments | Coronavirus, COVID-19, Emergency Response, MIS-C, Multisytem Inflammatory Syndrome in Children, Pandemic

Sharing Data is the Key to Unlocking Remdesivir Challenges
Critical care teams should consider using remdesivir to treat patients with severe acute SARS-CoV-2 infection, but supply of the drug is limited and best practices for maximizing its effectiveness are not completely understood.
Posted: 5/15/2020 | 0 comments | Coronavirus, COVID-19, Emergency Response

Concise Critical Appraisal: Planning and Provision of ECMO for Severe ARDS From COVID-19
This Concise Critical Appraisal explores a Lancet Respiratory Medicine article by Ramanathan et al, which outlines how to plan for extracorporeal membrane oxygenation (ECMO) for patients with severe acute respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS) related to COVID-19. ECMO is a complex therapy usually restricted to specialized centers. World Health Organization guidelines suggest that carefully selected patients with ARDS may benefit. The authors explore how good planning can help during outbreaks of emerging infectious diseases.
Posted: 5/13/2020 | 0 comments | Appraisal, Coronavirus, COVID-19, ECMO, Emergency Response, Pandemic

Clinicians Report High Stress in COVID-19 Response
Critical care clinicians are feeling increased personal stress about COVID-19 and are especially worried about infecting loved ones, while also expressing continued concern about personal protective equipment (PPE) and staffing shortages, according to a rapid-cycle survey from SCCM.
Posted: 5/5/2020 | 0 comments | Coronavirus, COVID-19, Emergency Response, Pandemic

SCCM Deploys Supplies and Volunteers to Support ICUs in Need
With hospitals in hardest-hit areas clamoring for clinicians, supplies, and equipment during the COVID-19 pandemic, SCCM has been working with other nonprofits and corporations to answer the hospitals' call for help. SCCM partnered with Direct Relief to send ICU kits that included more than 86,000 units of essential pharmaceuticals to hospitals in New York and South Dakota.
Posted: 4/24/2020 | 0 comments | Coronavirus, COVID-19, Donations, Donor Supported, Emergency Response, Pandemic

Message from the President: COVID-19
Acute inpatient care - and critical care in particular - has responded to the COVID-19 pandemic in unprecedented ways. Hospital entry screening, reduction or near-elimination of visitation, universal masks, and concerns regarding the supply of beds, medications, personal protective equipment (PPE), ventilators, and ICU team members are chief among the changes. But these are not the only changes that now characterize our daily work and workflow.
Posted: 4/17/2020 | 0 comments | Coronavirus, COVID-19, Message from the President

SCCM Member Volunteers to Care for NYC COVID-19 Patients
SCCM member Gregory Margolin, DO, FCCP, FCCM, will be volunteering in New York City next week. He has been treating critically ill patients with COVID-19 at his hospital in Scottsdale, Arizona, and will continue his efforts by treating patients at the Javits Center, the convention center in Manhattan repurposed for COVID-19 overflow.
Posted: 4/10/2020 | 0 comments | Coronavirus, COVID-19, COVID-19 Member Stories, Donor Supported, Emergency Response

ICU Readiness Assessment: We Are Not Prepared for COVID-19
Nearly 5000 U.S. intensive care unit (ICU) clinicians say that their ICUs are not prepared for the potential onslaught of COVID-19 patients. According to the Society of Critical Care Medicine’s (SCCM) ICU Readiness Assessment, their specific concerns range from shortages of supplies and staff, patient surge and overcrowding, and personal protective equipment.
Posted: 4/1/2020 | 0 comments | Coronavirus, COVID-19, ICU Readiness Assessment, Pandemic

Critical Care Physician Tapped to Lead COVID-19 Testing Efforts
Assistant Secretary for Health Admiral Brett P. Giroir, MD, a prominent critical care physician who has a long history of membership and involvement with the Society of Critical Care Medicine (SCCM), has been tapped to lead one of the most important missions in the government's COVID-19 response.
Posted: 3/30/2020 | 0 comments | Coronavirus, COVID-19, COVID-19 Member Stories, Emergency Response

SCCM Member Provides Remote Disaster Response to Italy
SCCM Member and disaster management expert Marie R. Baldisseri, MD, MPH, FCCM, is helping Italy remotely with their COVID-19 response plans. Dr. Baldisseri shares her knowledge about the situation in Italy and talks about what drives her to respond in times of crisis.
Posted: 3/30/2020 | 0 comments | Coronavirus, COVID-19, COVID-19 Member Stories, Emergency Response, Pandemic

United States Resource Availability for COVID-19
With the onset of COVID-19, and the strong possibility of large percentages of the U.S. population being admitted to the hospital and intensive care unit (ICU), the Society of Critical Care Medicine (SCCM) has updated its statistics on critical care resources available in the United States.
Posted: 3/13/2020 | 0 comments | Coronavirus, COVID-19, Disaster Response, Emergency Response

Caring for Critically Ill Patients with Novel Coronavirus
Concern over the 2019 novel coronavirus (2019-nCoV) is growing. It is vital that those on the frontlines be prepared. This article highlights several strategic goals and special considerations related to caring for a critically ill patient who can transmit a deadly disease to you, your staff, or others in your hospital.
Posted: 1/31/2020 | 0 comments | Coronavirus, COVID-19, Pandemic