Hey there!

The past two weeks have been remarkably productive for new publications. Between the 2026 Surviving Sepsis Campaign guidelines and several high-impact clinical trials, there is a lot to cover. Enjoy the read! P.S. I haven’t forgotten the second part of our previous clinical case—I’ve got you covered.

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Anesthesiology:

Guidelines & Consensus:

1- AI:

1. Contextualizing AI Evaluation in Anesthesiology: Interpreting Predictive Modeling and Reinforcement Learning Metrics Across Clinical Use Cases—An Expert Statement From the Society of Technology in Anesthesia, Anesthesia & Analgesia, 12 March 2026, Link

2- General:

2. Guidelines on Preventing Medication Errors in Anaesthesia and Intensive Care, Anaesthesia Critical Care & Pain Medicine, April 2026, Link

Systematic reviews & meta-analyses:

1- General:

3. Comparative safety of esketamine in procedural sedation and analgesia: a systematic review and network meta-analysis, BMC Anesthesiology, 14 March 2026, Link
4. The involvement of anaesthetists and other healthcare professionals with surgeons in shared decision-making for adult patients contemplating surgery: a systematic review and narrative analysis, BJA Open, March 2026, Link

2- Cardiovascular & Hemodynamics:

5. Impact of hypotension prediction index-guided management on intraoperative hypotension and postoperative outcomes in abdominal surgery: A meta-analysis of randomized controlled trials, Anaesthesia Critical Care & Pain Medicine, April 2026, Link

3- Obstetrics & Gynecology:

6. Does peripartum intravenous calcium administration reduce the occurrence of uterine atony in caesarean sections? A systematic review and meta-analysis, European Journal of Anaesthesiology, 24 March 2026, Link

4- Pediatric:

7. The effect of esketamine on emergence delirium or agitation in children after anesthesia: a systematic review and meta-analysis, BMC Anesthesiology, 16 March 2026, Link

5- Regional Anesthesia & Pain Management:

8. Ketamine’s Immediate Analgesia and Opioid-Sparing Benefits in Laparoscopic Cholecystectomy: A Meta-Analysis of Time Points, Anesthesia Protocols, and Bolus/Infusion Strategies, The Clinical Journal of Pain, 19 March 2026, Link
9. Comparison of neuraxial anesthesia and analgesia strategies for obese parturients: a systematic review and network meta-analysis, BMC Anesthesiology, 18 March 2026, Link
10. Effect of ultrasound-guided quadratus lumborum block with dexmedetomidine as an adjuvant on postoperative analgesia for gynecological laparoscopic surgery: a randomized controlled trial, BMC Anesthesiology, 17 March 2026, Link

Clinical trials:

1- General:

11. Comparison of effects of remimazolam and propofol on mask ventilation during general anaesthesia induction: A randomised controlled trial, Anaesthesia Critical Care & Pain Medicine, April 2026, Link
12. Continuous vs Intermittent Postoperative Vital Sign Monitoring: A Cluster Randomized Crossover Trial, JAMA Open, 26 March 2026, Link
13. Dynamic effects of low- and high-pressure pneumoperitoneum on optic nerve sheath diameter during laparoscopic cholecystectomy: a prospective, randomized, observer-blinded clinical trial, BMC Anesthesiology, 19 March 2026, Link

2- Airway & Mechanical Ventilation:

14. Jiancheng dual-channel vs. i-gel laryngeal mask airway for fiberoptic bronchoscopy: A randomized trial, Anaesthesia Critical Care & Pain Medicine, April 2026, Link
15. Provu video stylet-assisted intubation under direct laryngoscopy and video laryngoscopy in high Arne score patients: a randomized clinical trial, BMC Anesthesiology, 18 March 2026, Link
16. Sugammadex, neostigmine, and postoperative pulmonary complications: protocol of the SNaPP multicentre randomised controlled trial, BJA Open, March 2026, Link

3- Cardiovascular & Hemodynamics:

17. Efficacy of surgeon-administered regional anesthesia in cardiac surgery –A double-blind, two-center, randomized, placebo-controlled trial, Journal of Cardiothoracic and Vascular Anesthesia, 27 March 2026, Link
18. Invasive blood pressure monitoring by ultrasound-guided artery cannulation through the distal radial artery approach at the anatomical snuffbox compared with the conventional artery approach: a randomised controlled trial, Journal of Cardiothoracic and Vascular Anesthesia, 25 March 2026, Link
19. Effect of ciprofol with etomidate on the occurrence of hypotension in elderly patients undergoing upper gastrointestinal endoscopy: a prospective randomized controlled study, BMC Anesthesiology, 24 March 2026, Link
20. Effect of exercise prehabilitation on days alive and out of hospital after cardiac surgery: a secondary analysis of the randomised PRE-habilitation for improving QUality of recovery after ELective cardiac surgery trial, BJA Open, March 2026, Link

4- Neuro:

21. Effect of Preoperative Intravenous Ferric Carboxymaltose on Postoperative Transfusion Reduction in Iron Deficiency Anemia Patients Scheduled for Clipping Surgery for Unruptured Intracranial Aneurysms: The PICASA Trial — A Single Center, Single-Blind Randomized Clinical Trial, Anaesthesia Critical Care & Pain Medicine, April 2026, Link
22. Impact of Ultraearly Perioperative Antihypertensive Therapy in Acute Intracerebral Hemorrhage, Stroke, 24 March 2026, Link

5- Obstetrics & Gynecology:

23. Effect of intraoperative remimazolam infusion on postoperative sleep disturbance in elderly patients after gynecological laparoscopy: A randomized clinical trial, Anaesthesia Critical Care & Pain Medicine, 20 March 2026, Link, April 2026, Link
24. HSK21542 for Postoperative Analgesia in Gynecological Surgery: A Pooled Post-Hoc Analysis of Two Phase III Randomized Controlled Trials, Anesthesia & Analgesia, 23 March 2026, Link
25. Opioid-Free Versus Opioid-Based Anesthesia for Quality of Recovery Following Laparoscopic Hysterectomy: A Randomized Controlled Non-Inferiority Trial, Anaesthesia Critical Care & Pain Medicine, 20 March 2026, Link
26. Comparison of supine vs head-elevated position on sensory block height following combined spinal epidural anaesthesia in Class III obese parturients undergoing elective caesarean delivery- a randomized controlled trial, BMC Anesthesiology, 16 March 2026, Link

6- Regional Anesthesia & Pain Management:

27. Comfort-Focused Assessment and Patient-Reported Experience After Regional versus General Anaesthesia: Post Hoc Analysis of a Cluster-Randomised Trial, Anaesthesia Critical Care & Pain Medicine, April 2026, Link
28. Evaluation of the postoperative quality of recovery score in radical prostatectomy with erector spinae plane block: a randomised controlled trial, BMC Anesthesiology, 21 March 2026, Link
29. Effect of Paroxetine or Escitalopram Co-administered with Oxycodone vs Oxycodone Alone on Ventilation During Hypercapnia: A Randomized Clinical Trial, Anesthesiology, 18 March 2026, Link
30. Superior autonomic regulation with ropivacaine over lidocaine in stellate ganglion block for chronic insomnia: a randomized controlled trial, BMC Anesthesiology, 17 March 2026, Link

Reviews:

1- AI & Tech:

31. From Cuffs to Code: Machine Learning in Non-Invasive Blood Pressure Monitoring, Anaesthesia Critical Care & Pain Medicine, April 2026, Link
32. Using head-mounted augmented and virtual reality devices for anaesthesia education: a scoping review, BJA Open, March 2026, Link

2- General:

33. Anaesthetic considerations for patient blood management in cancer surgery: a narrative review, Anaesthesia Critical Care & Pain Medicine, April 2026, Link
34. Core concepts in statistics and research methods. Part 7: regression, BJA Edu, 20 March 2026, Link

3- Airway & Mechanical Ventilation:

35. High-Flow Nasal Oxygen in the Perioperative Setting: A Narrative Review, Anaesthesia Critical Care & Pain Medicine, 26 March 2026, Link

4- Cardiovascular & Hemodynamics:

36. Selected 2025 Highlights in Congenital Cardiac Anesthesia, Journal of Cardiothoracic and Vascular Anesthesia, 25 March 2026, Link
37. Rethinking Lactate in Cardiac Surgery and Intensive Care, Journal of Cardiothoracic and Vascular Anesthesia, 14 March 2026, Link
38. Advances in the understanding and management of hospital-acquired anemia, Current Opinion in Anesthesiology, 13 March 2026, Link
39. Updates to perioperative and anesthetic management of the left ventricular assist device patient presenting for noncardiac surgery, Current Opinion in Anesthesiology, 11 March 2026, Link
40. Safety in electroconvulsive therapy: a narrative review of cardiopulmonary complications, Current Opinion in Anesthesiology, 9 March 2026, Link

5- Obstetrics & Gynecology:

41. Beyond postdural puncture headache: headache and the puerperium, Current Opinion in Anesthesiology, 9 March 2026, Link

6- Pediatric:

42. The impact of social determinants of health on paediatric perioperative adverse events – a narrative review, Anaesthesia Critical Care & Pain Medicine, 20 March 2026, Link
43. Neuromuscular block in paediatric patients undergoing airway management: a narrative review, Current Opinion in Anesthesiology, 13 March 2026, Link
44. Overview and anesthetic management of fetal vessel anomalies and umbilical cord emergencies, Current Opinion in Anesthesiology, 12 March 2026, Link
45. Update on total intravenous anesthesia in children, Current Opinion in Anesthesiology, 12 March 2026, Link
46. Promoting safe anaesthesia for every child: the SAFETOTS initiative and beyond, Current Opinion in Anesthesiology, 11 March 2026, Link

7- Regional Anesthesia & Pain Management:

47. Specialised invasive techniques for cancer-related pain, BJA Edu, 19 March 2026, Link
48. Latest conceptual, methodological, and clinical advances in chronic pain, Current Opinion in Anesthesiology, 11 March 2026, Link

Critical Care:

1- Cardiovascular & Hemodynamics:

1. Current practice, training and skill assessment of central venous access device insertion: Perspectives of intensive care trainees in adult intensive care units across Australia and New Zealand and their recommendations for improvement: Central Venous Lines Insertion: Practice, Education, Recommendation 2.0 (CLIPER 2.0), Critical Care and Resuscitation, March 2026, Link
2. Evidence-based guidelines for the use of extracorporeal membrane oxygenation in Australia and New Zealand using GRADE methodology series part 1: Venovenous extracorporeal membrane oxygenation (VV ECMO) indications and management, Critical Care and Resuscitation, March 2026, Link

2- Infectious Diseases:

3. Evidence-based, cost-effective management of necrotizing soft tissue infection: An algorithm of the Journal of Trauma and Acute Care Surgery emergency general surgery algorithms work group, Journal of Trauma and Acute Care Surgery, April 2026, Link
4. Clinical Criteria for the Definition of Refractory Septic Shock: A Joint Delphi Consensus from the Society of Critical Care Medicine (SCCM) and European Society of Intensive Care Medicine (ESICM), Critical Care Medicine, 24 March 2026, Link
5. Surviving Sepsis Campaign: International Guidelines for Management of Sepsis and Septic Shock 2026, Critical Care Medicine, 23 March 2026, Link
6. Executive Summary: Surviving Sepsis Campaign: International Guidelines for Management of Sepsis and Septic Shock 2026, Critical Care Medicine, 23 March 2026, Link
7. Gaps and Strategies for Management of Sepsis in Low-Resource Settings: Expert Consensus Statements Using a Delphi Method, Critical Care Medicine, 20 March 2026, Link

3- Sedation & analgesia:

8. Updated European Society for Emergency Medicine Guidelines for acute pain management in emergency departments and prehospital care, European Journal of Emergency Medicine, 11 March 2026, Link

4- Pediatric critical care:

9. Surviving Sepsis Campaign International Guidelines for the Management of Sepsis and Septic Shock in Children 2026, Intensive Care Medicine, 23 March 2026, Link

5- Other:

10. Executive Summary: Society of Critical Care Medicine Guidelines on Caring for Older Adults in the ICU, Critical Care Medicine, 20 March 2026, Link
11. Society of Critical Care Medicine Guidelines on Caring for Older Adults in the ICU, Critical Care Medicine, 20 March 2026, Link

Systematic reviews & meta-analyses:

1- AI:

12. Closed-loop and Artificial intelligence guided cardiopulmonary resuscitation using real-time physiological signals: a systematic review and meta-analysis, BMC Anesthesiology, 14 March 2026, Link

2- Cardiovascular & Hemodynamics:

13. Lung ultrasound-guided decongestion in heart failure patients: A systematic review and meta-analysis of randomized controlled trials, Journal of Critical Care, June 2026, Link
14. Volume Therapy for Cardiac Arrest: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis, Resuscitation Plus, 25 March 2026, Link

3- Thorax/Lungs/Airways/Mechanical ventilation:

15. Percutaneous dilatational tracheostomy with versus without bronchoscopic guidance: a systematic review and meta-analysis of randomized controlled trials, BMC Anesthesiology, 17 March 2026, Link

4- Neuro-muscular:

16. Operator and Modality-Dependent Limitations of Optic Nerve Sheath Diameter Sonography for Raised ICP in TBI: A Meta-Regression of Diagnostic Accuracy, Neurocritical Care, 25 March 2026, Link
17. Resumption of Warfarin After Intracranial Hemorrhage in Patients With Mechanical Heart Valves: A Systematic Review and Meta‐Analysis, Journal of the American Heart Association, 13 March 2026, Link

5- Renal:

18. Clinical utility of proenkephalin A 119-159 for prediction of worsening renal function and prognosis in patients with sepsis –results of a patient-level meta-analysis, Critical Care, 24 March 2026, Link

6- Blood & hemostasis:

19. Anti-Xa Levels With Venous Thromboembolism Prophylaxis in Critical Care: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis, Critical Care Medicine, 11 March 2026, Link

7- Infectious Diseases:

20. The Association Between Socioeconomic Position and Mortality in Patients With Sepsis and Septic Shock—A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis, Critical Care Medicine, 20 March 2026, Link
21. Inhaled Antibiotics to Treat Ventilator-Associated Pneumonia: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis, Critical Care Medicine, 16 March 2026, Link
22. Prevalence, treatment, and outcomes of sepsis during rapid response team calls: A systematic review and meta-analysis, Critical Care and Resuscitation, March 2026, Link

Clinical trials:

1- Cardiovascular & Hemodynamics:

23. Cardiac Arrest and Outcome in Patients With Cardiogenic Shock Complicating Acute Myocardial Infarction: A Pooled Analysis of Randomized Controlled Trials, JACC, 25 March 2026, Link
24. Ultrasound guidance versus conventional technique for radial arterial puncture in patients with shock in the emergency department: a randomized controlled trial, BMC Anesthesiology, 19 March 2026, Link
25. Efficacy of Vericiguat in Acute Heart Failure: A Target Trial Emulation Study, Journal of the American Heart Association, 18 March 2026, Link
26. Prehospital Whole Blood in Traumatic Hemorrhage — a Randomized Controlled Trial, NEJM, 17 March 2026, Link

2- Thorax/Lungs/Airways/Mechanical ventilation:

27. Dipeptidyl peptidase-3 to predict respiratory outcomes in patients hospitalized with COVID-19: A secondary analysis of a multicenter randomized trial, Journal of Critical Care, June 2026, Link
28. Performance of the new Laryngeal tube LT^®evo during simulated resuscitation: a randomised crossover manikin study, International Journal of Emergency Medicine, 24 March 2026, Link
29. Congestive heart failure in patients with acute respiratory distress syndrome: a secondary analysis of large randomized controlled trials, Anaesthesia Critical Care & Pain Medicine, 20 March 2026, Link
30. The impact of bronchoscopy on the safety of percutaneous tracheostomy: a randomized controlled trial, Critical Care, 18 March 2026, Link
31. High-Flow or Standard Oxygen in Acute Hypoxemic Respiratory Failure, NEJM, 17 March 2026, Link

3- Neuro-muscular:

32. Evaluation of a Novel Automated Cerebral Ventricular Drainage System for Intracranial Pressure Monitoring and Cerebrospinal Fluid Drainage in Neurocritical Care Patients: A Prospective, Randomized Clinical Study, Neurocritical Care, 23 March 2026, Link

4- Infectious Diseases:

33. Quantifying immune dysregulation in pneumonia and sepsis with a parsimonious machine-learning model: a multicohort analysis across care settings and reanalysis of a hydrocortisone randomised controlled trial, The Lancet Respiratory Medicine, 16 March 2026, Link
34. Ceragenin-Coated Endotracheal Tubes for the Reduction of Ventilator-Associated Pneumonia: A Prospective, Longitudinal, Crossover, Interrupted Time, Implementation Study (CEASE VAP Study), Critical Care Explorations, April 2026, Link

5- Sedation & analgesia:

35. Efficacy and Safety of Remimazolam Tosylate versus Propofol for Sedation of Postoperative Mechanically Ventilated Patients in Intensive Care Units: a Multicenter, Randomized, Single-blind, Non-inferiority, Phase 3 trial, Anesthesiology, 19 March 2026, Link
36. Restrictive vs Liberal Physical Restraint Strategies in Critically Ill Patients: The R2D2-ICU Randomized Clinical Trial, JAMA, 17 March 2026, Link
    1. Restrictive vs Liberal Physical Restraint Strategies in Critically Ill Patients: Research Summary, JAMA, 17 March 2026, Link
    2. Physical Restraint Use in Critical Care: Balancing Safety and Harm, JAMA, 17 March 2026, Link
37. A pilot, parallel-group, blinded, placebo-controlled, randomiseD, pRagmatic clinical trial investigating the Effect of temazepAM on objective and subjective measures of sleep in critically ill patients (the DREAM trial), Critical Care and Resuscitation, March 2026, Link
38. Protocol for a multicentre target trial emulation comparing ketamine and propofol in critically ill adults undergoing emergency intubation, Critical Care and Resuscitation, March 2026, Link

6- Pediatric critical care:

39. Effect of Adjunctive Train-of-Four Monitoring Using Peripheral Nerve Stimulation on Neuromuscular Blocking Agent Dose in PICU Patients: A Randomized Crossover Study, Pediatric Critical Care Medicine, 16 March 2026, Link
40. Sweep Gas Nitric Oxide During Extracorporeal Membrane Oxygenation in Neonates and Children (NECTAR Trial): A Single-Center, Pilot Randomized Controlled Trial, Pediatric Critical Care Medicine, 11 March 2026, Link

7- Other:

41. Effects of a Combined Lifestyle Intervention on Recovery of ICU Survivors: A Randomized Controlled Trial, Critical Care Medicine, 16 March 2026, Link

Reviews:

1- AI:

42. Machine learning in ARDS: an intensivist’s guide to artificial intelligence applications, Critical care, 13 March 2026, Link

2- Cardiovascular & Hemodynamics:

43. Current perspectives in cardiogenic shock, Journal of Critical Care, June 2026, Link
44. Critical closing pressure in the circulation: Understanding the vascular waterfall phenomenon, Journal of Critical Care, June 2026, Link
45. Albumin 20% in surgical and critically ill patients; a comprehensive review, Critical Care, 24 March 2026, Link
46. The Effective Management of Shock: Moving From Physiology to Guidelines to Personalized Medicine, Critical Care Medicine, 17 March 2026, Link
47. Rethinking Lactate in Cardiac Surgery and Intensive Care, Journal of Cardiothoracic and Vascular Anesthesia, 14 March 2026, Link
48. Critical Care Ultrasonography for Cardiogenic Shock: A Scoping Review, Critical Care Explorations, March 2026, Link

3- Thorax/Lungs/Airways/Mechanical ventilation:

49. What every intensivist should know about extracorporeal CO₂ removal in ARDS, Journal of Critical Care, June 2026, Link
50. Physiological rationale and clinical use of lateral positioning in ARDS, Journal of Critical Care, June 2026, Link
51. Acute respiratory distress syndrome and acute kidney injury in critically ill patients: A scoping review on this lung-kidney crosstalk, Journal of Critical Care, June 2026, Link
52. Subphenotypes in acute respiratory distress syndrome: A scoping review across clinical, biological, computational, imaging, omics, and artificial intelligence approaches, Journal of Critical Care, June 2026, Link
53. Characterizing heterogeneity and subphenotyping acute respiratory distress syndrome with computed tomography, Intensive Care Medicine Experimental, 26 March 2026, Link
54. Ventilator Weaning and Extubation in Acute Brain Injury: Challenges and Evidence-Based Approaches, Anaesthesia Critical Care & Pain Medicine, 20 March 2026, Link

4- Neuro-muscular:

55. Abnormal pupils at the bedside: rapid recognition of neurologic and systemic emergencies in acute care settings, International Journal of Emergency Medicine, 25 March 2026, Link

5- Renal:

56. Acute respiratory distress syndrome and acute kidney injury in critically ill patients: A scoping review on this lung-kidney crosstalk, Journal of Critical Care, June 2026, Link

6- Trauma:

57. Dose-reduction strategies in whole-body CT for injured patients in the emergency department: a scoping review, International Journal of Emergency Medicine, 16 March 2026, Link

7- Infectious Diseases:

58. Left ventricular-arterial coupling in septic shock: A physiological review, Journal of Critical Care, June 2026, Link
59. Incidence and outcomes of influenza-associated pulmonary aspergillosis and the role of antifungal prophylaxis: a structured literature review, Critical Care, 256 March 2026, Link
60. Ten Steps to Improve Sepsis Care in Low-Resource Settings, Critical Care Medicine, 20 March 2026, Link
61. The Frame of Survival for Sepsis: A Practical Systems Framework for Time-Sensitive Critical Illness in Low-Resource Settings, Critical Care Medicine, 20 March 2026, Link
62. Targeting Myeloid-Derived Suppressor Cells in Sepsis: Pathophysiology, Duality, and Therapeutic Frontiers, Shock, 13 March 2026, Link

8- Pediatric critical care:

63. Pediatric trauma management in low-resource emergency departments: from first contact to safe disposition – a narrative review, International Journal of Emergency Medicine, 24 March 2026, Link

9- Other:

64. Post-anaphylaxis observation in the ED: a decade of data challenging the traditional 24-hour rule, International Journal of Emergency Medicine, 14 March 2026, Link

Feedback & Suggestions

Don't hesitate to share your thoughts and suggestions in the comments below; they'll be a great help in improving future issues of the newsletter.

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See you next time :)

Benhalima Othmane.

Anecrit.com