POPULARITY
Long after acute infection has resolved, many survivors of severe COVID-19 experience persistent symptoms. Understanding the causes of long COVID and developing effective treatments pose a challenge for clinicians and researchers alike. In this episode of the Society of Critical Care Medicine (SCCM) Podcast, host Kyle B. Enfield, MD, speaks with Matthew Baldwin, MD, MS, about his article published in the March 2026 issue of Critical Care Explorations that examines post-acute sequelae of COVID-19 in acute lung injury (ALI) and acute respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS) survivors over a three-year period. One of the study's most notable findings is that approximately one in four study patients, many of whom were middle-aged and previously healthy, continued to meet criteria for long COVID three years after infection. This finding emphasizes the burden of chronic illness caused by COVID-19 infection and the need to focus research and treatment efforts on this population of ALI/ARDS survivors. Drs. Baldwin and Enfield discuss the relevance of inflammatory, thromboinflammatory, and endothelial biomarkers in understanding illness due to COVID-19. Surprisingly, the study found no association between long COVID symptoms and these biomarkers. Dr. Baldwin contextualizes this finding and encourages future studies to employ multiomics to better uncover the underlying mechanisms of these symptoms. The discussion emphasizes the patient-centered approach of the study, which examines functional outcomes as well as biomarkers. Dr. Baldwin encourages clinicians to validate the experiences of severe COVID-19 survivors and guide them towards the next step in their recovery as researchers continue to look for better therapies. Resources referenced in this episode: Baldwin M, Jones AE, McGroder CF, et al. Post-acute sequelae of COVID-19 persist over three years in acute lung injury/acute respiratory distress syndrome survivors but are not associated with persistent thromboinflammation or endothelial dysfunction. Crit Care Explor. 2026;8(3):e1390. Hodgson CL, Higgins AM, Bailey MJ, et al. Comparison of 6-month outcomes of survivors of COVID-19 versus non-COVID-19 critical illness. Am J Respir Crit Care Med. 2022;205(10):1159-1168. Herridge MS, Tansey CM, Matté A, et al. Functional disability 5 years after acute respiratory distress syndrome. N Engl J Med. 2011;364(14):1293-1304. National Institutes of Health RECOVER Initiative. RECOVER: Researching COVID to Enhance Recovery. https://recovercovid.org Leisman DE, Mehta A, Thompson BT, et al. Alveolar, endothelial, and organ injury marker dynamics in severe COVID-19. Am J Respir Crit Care Med. 2022;205(5):507-519. Cervia-Hasler C, Brüningk SC, Hoch T, et al. Persistent complement dysregulation with signs of thromboinflammation in active long COVID. Science. 2024;383(6680). doi:10.1126/science.adg7942 Oelsner EC, Krishnaswamy A, Balte PP, et al. Collaborative cohort of cohorts for COVID-19 Research (C4R) Study: study design. Am J Epidemiol. 2022;191(7):1153-1173.
What has changed in the new 2026 Surviving Sepsis Campaign (SSC) guidelines for adults? In this episode of the Society of Critical Care Medicine (SCCM) Podcast, Kyle B. Enfield, MD, is joined by guideline cochairs Massimo Antonelli, MD, and Hallie C. Prescott, MD, MSc, FCCM, for a practical discussion on the biggest updates in the care of adults with sepsis and septic shock, from appropriate care during transport to the hospital to balancing timely antibiotics with antimicrobial stewardship. The panel also discusses hemodynamic resuscitation, vasopressor selection, global implementation, and the growing recognition that sepsis care does not end at hospital discharge. The guidelines, “Surviving Sepsis Campaign: International Guidelines for Management of Sepsis and Septic Shock 2026,” were released in the April issue of Critical Care Medicine. The episode highlights: How the panel graded the evidence New sepsis terminology to address variabilities in how different professions, environments, or cultures refer to specific features of sepsis How the guidelines are shaped to support clinicians practicing in a wide range of care settings, including resource-limited settings Dr. Antonelli is a professor of anesthesiology and intensive care medicine at Università Cattolica del Sacro Cuore in Rome, Italy, and director of the general intensive care unit at Policlinico A. Gemelli University Hospital. Dr. Prescott is a professor of pulmonary and critical care medicine at the University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, Michigan, USA, and a staff physician at the Ann Arbor Veterans Affairs Healthcare System. This podcast is sponsored by Vantive. At Vantive, our mission to extend lives and expand possibilities starts with the commitment to continuous learning. We are committed to partnering with the medical community to support vital organ therapy innovation grounded in clinical evidence and focused on improving patient outcomes. The recent publication on endotoxic septic shock centers on an evidence-based approach to address clinical challenges in critical care and beyond as highlighted in our press release. Resources referenced in this podcast: Executive Summary: Surviving Sepsis Campaign: International Guidelines for Management of Sepsis and Septic Shock 2026 Surviving Sepsis Campaign: International Guidelines for Management of Sepsis and Septic Shock 2026 Restriction of Intravenous Fluid in ICU Patients with Septic Shock Early Restrictive or Liberal Fluid Management for Sepsis-Induced Hypotension
In this episode of the Society of Critical Care Medicine (SCCM) Podcast, host Kyle B. Enfield, MD, FCCM, speaks with Sumeet Rai, PhD, FCICM, senior intensivist at Canberra Hospital, about his study, “Pawsitive Care: Canine-Assisted Intervention for Anxiety in ICU Patients and Family Members: A Single-Center, Single-Arm Study,” published in the May 2025 compendium of Critical Care Explorations. Dr. Rai explains how positive anecdotal experiences of animal therapy in the ICU inspired his team to conduct this study. Guided by infection control protocols, they implemented a program allowing accredited therapy dogs to visit patients and families for 15- to 20-minute sessions. More than 60% of patients and more than 90% of family members had a clinically meaningful reduction in anxiety scores, and patients reported decreased pain. No adverse events were observed, demonstrating the feasibility and safety of this approach. Dr. Rai addresses the study's limitations, such as the impracticality of conducting a randomized trial, and highlights the need for research into staff well-being, which appeared to benefit from therapy dog visits. He also underscores the importance of a safety program, including infection control precautions. This episode offers practical insights for implementing animal therapy programs in the ICU and invites listeners to consider new approaches to improving mental health and well-being for patients, families, and staff. Resources referenced in this episode: Pawsitive Care: Canine-Assisted Intervention for Anxiety in ICU Patients and Family Members: A Single-Center, Single-Arm Study (Cook K, et al. Crit Care Explor. 2025;7:e1258).
In this episode of the Society of Critical Care Medicine (SCCM) Podcast, host Kyle B. Enfield, MD, FCCM, welcomes Vincenzo Russotto, MD, of the University of Turin in Turin, Italy to discuss Dr. Russotto's article, “Induction Agents for Tracheal Intubation in Critically Ill Patients,” published in the January 2025 issue of Critical Care Medicine. Drs. Enfield and Russotto explore the decision of which induction drugs to use for patients undergoing tracheal intubation. They discuss research challenges such as the ethics of which drugs can be tested on patients and the emergent nature of many tracheal intubations. Dr. Russotto discusses the advantages and disadvantages of ketamine as an induction agent and describes current clinical thinking on etomidate and propofol. His study made no definitive conclusions but found evidence that ketamine may have a safer profile and etomidate and propofol may be associated with negative effects. Dr. Russotto emphasizes the need to individualize patient treatment and shares examples of induction agent combinations. He encourages clinicians to consider hemodynamic optimization along with the use of intubation agents. Listeners will gain insights to inform patient care. Resources referenced in this episode: Induction Agents for Tracheal Intubation in Critically Ill Patients (Kotani Y, et al. Crit Care Med. 2025;53:e173-e181).
In this episode of the Society of Critical Care Medicine (SCCM) Podcast, host Kyle B. Enfield, MD, FCCM, speaks with Garrett McDougall, MS, MSc, and Ben Forestell, MD, of McMaster University about their recent study, “Direct Laryngoscopy Versus Video Laryngoscopy for Intubation in Critically Ill Patients: A Systematic Review, Meta-Analysis, and Trial Sequential Analysis of Randomized Trials,” published in the November 2024 issue of Critical Care Medicine. The study included 20 randomized controlled trials encompassing 4569 patients to investigate whether video laryngoscopy (VL) offers advantages over direct laryngoscopy (DL) for intubation in critically ill patients. A key finding of the study was that VL probably improves first-pass success rates and reduces the risk of esophageal intubation and dental injury. These benefits extend across the spectrum of operator experience, especially among novice operators but also among seasoned operators. Drs. McDougall and Forestell discuss findings that surprised them, such as seeing equal benefit for standard VL and hyperangulated VL devices. Additionally, no clear benefits were found for patients who were intubated emergently with VL as compared to those who underwent elective intubation. The discussion covers what could be next for resuscitation and airway research in critically ill patients. There may be more to learn about scenarios involving difficult airways, soiled airways, and emergent versus elective intubation. More research on device characteristics could also provide important insights. To wrap up, the guests underscore the importance of maintaining both VL and DL proficiency since DL can be a more appropriate choice for some patients. Resources referenced in this episode: Direct Laryngoscopy Versus Video Laryngoscopy for Intubation in Critically Ill Patients: A Systematic Review, Meta-Analysis, and Trial Sequential Analysis of Randomized Trials (McDougall GG, et al. Crit Care Med. 2024;52:1674-1685).
In this episode of the Society of Critical Care Medicine (SCCM) Podcast, host Kyle B. Enfield, MD, FCCM, speaks with Brian T. Wessman, MD, FACEP, FCCM, and Fajun Wang, MD, about maximizing professional growth through active engagement with SCCM. Drawing on their personal experiences, the guests reflect on how early involvement through residency, fellowship, and the Fundamental Critical Care Support (FCCS) course ignited long-term involvement in the Society. Drs. Wessman and Wang outline actionable strategies for new and seasoned members alike. They emphasize the value of committee and section participation, trainee liaison roles, and the mentorship programs, particularly the initiative tailored for international medical graduates. The conversation sheds light on the application process and professional significance of becoming a Fellow of the American College of Critical Care Medicine (FCCM). Whether you're navigating your first SCCM Congress or considering applying for FCCM designation, this episode is a comprehensive guide to supersizing your SCCM membership—turning involvement into influence and professional growth into sustained impact. Resources referenced in this episode: SCCM's LearnICU platform Choosing Wisely for Critical Care: The Next Five (Zimmerman JJ, et al. Crit Care Med. 2021;49:472-481) The Definition of the Intensivist in the Era of Global Healthcare (Wu D, et al. Crit Care Med. 2025;53:e548-e554).
Patients with sepsis are regularly transferred to intensive care units, but there is a dearth of literature that describes the type of communication occurring between the receiving and referring clinicians after these transfers take place. The Society of Critical Care Medicine's (SCCM) Diagnostic Excellence Program sought to gain a better understanding of these communications through an in-depth survey. In this podcast, host Kyle B. Enfield, MD, discusses the survey results with grant principal investigator Greg S. Martin, MD, MSc, FCCM. Dr. Martin also discusses a new toolkit created by SCCM to facilitate better transfer communication. Learn more about the toolkit and the Diagnosis Excellence Program at sccm.org/diagnosticexcellence. This podcast offers 0.25 hours of accredited continuing education (ACE) credit. Learn more at https://sccm.org/diagnosticexcellence The Diagnostic Excellence Program is funded by the Gordon and Betty Moore Foundation through a grant program administered by the Council of Medical Specialty Societies to support the development and dissemination of resources and programs to improve the timeliness, accuracy, safety, efficiency, patient-centeredness, and equity of diagnostic outcomes for patients in the United States. Dr. Martin, a past SCCM president, is the James Paullin Distinguished Professor and division director of pulmonary, allergy, critical care and sleep medicine at Emory University. He is an international authority on critical care medicine and an expert on sepsis, COVID-19, and ARDS, having conducted groundbreaking clinical trials on these conditions, coauthored the Sepsis-3 definition, and published seminal papers for diagnosing and treating critically ill patients.
According to the United Nations, climate change is the defining crisis of our time and is happening more quickly than anticipated. Can critical care professionals be the spark that lights the fire of change? Kyle B. Enfield, MD, FSHEA, FCCM, was joined by Srinivas Murthy, MD, MDCM, MHSc, at the 2023 Critical Care Congress to discuss the intersection of climate change and critical care. Dr. Murthy is a pediatric infectious diseases and intensive care physician at the University of British Columbia in Vancouver British Columbia, Canada. His academic and clinical interests are in emerging and severe infections, innovative clinical trials, and global public health.
Discovery, the Critical Care Research Network, is an SCCM program that aims to expand research and improve outcomes. Discovery has launched the Data Science Campaign to leverage large-scale (big) data for research, seeking to apply these data in a clinical environment through standardized models and shared resources. Kyle B. Enfield, MD, FSHEA, FCCM, was joined by J. Perren Cobb, MD, FACS, FCCM, and Karin Reuter-Rice, PhD, NP, FAAN, FCCM, at SCCM's 2023 Critical Care Congress to discuss the future of data science and critical care research.
Intensive care unit (ICU) clinicians pride themselves on their ability to care for others, even at the expense of caring for themselves. Kyle B. Enfield, MD, FSHEA, FCCM, was joined by Emily K. Valcin, DNP, RN, FCCM, during SCCM's 2023 Critical Care Congress to discuss ICU clinician well-being and the importance of self-care.
Bloodstream infections (BSIs) acquired in the ICU are potentially preventable. Kyle B. Enfield, MD, FSHEA, FCCM, is joined by Sameer S. Kadri-Rodriguez, MD, MS, to discuss the article, Epidemiology of ICU-Onset Bloodstream Infection: Prevalence, Pathogens, and Risk Factors Among 150,948 ICU Patients at 85 U.S. Hospitals, (Gouel-Cheron A, et al. Crit Care Med. 2022;50:1725-1736). Dr. Kadri-Rodriguez is a critical care and infectious diseases physician at the National Institutes of Health Clinical Center in Bethesda, Maryland. This podcast is sponsored by Sound Physicians.
In this podcast, host Kyle B. Enfield, MD, FSHEA, FCCM, is joined by Samuel K. McGowan, MD, to discuss a systematic review that found significant differences in care and outcomes, including mortality rates, among intensive care unit (ICU) patients of different races (McGowan S, et al. Crit Care Med. 2022 Jan;50:1-20). Dr. McGowan is a first-year fellow in pulmonary and critical care at University of California in San Francisco, California, USA. This podcast is sponsored by Sound Physicians.
Kyle B. Enfield, MD, and Craig M. Lilly, MD, discuss the newly released guidance for vaping-associated respiratory distress syndrome, published in Critical Care Explorations.
Kyle B. Enfield, MD, and Craig M. Lilly, MD, discuss the newly released guidance for vaping-associated respiratory distress syndrome, published in Critical Care Explorations.
Kyle B. Enfield, MD, and Marin H. Kollef, MD, discuss the findings and design of the cluster randomized crossover trial on early palliative care consultation in the medical intensive care unit (ICU) published in the December 2019 issue of Critical Care Medicine.
Kyle B. Enfield, MD, and Marin H. Kollef, MD, discuss the findings and design of the cluster randomized crossover trial on early palliative care consultation in the medical intensive care unit (ICU) published in the December 2019 issue of Critical Care Medicine.
Kyle B. Enfield, MD, FCCM, and Azra Bihorac, MD, MS, FCCM, discuss best practices and complexities of implementing biomarkers for kidney stress and acute kidney injury (AKI) and what the future holds for AKI biomarker literature.
Kyle B. Enfield, MD, FCCM, and Azra Bihorac, MD, MS, FCCM, discuss best practices and complexities of implementing biomarkers for kidney stress and acute kidney injury (AKI) and what the future holds for AKI biomarker literature.
Kyle B. Enfield, MD, and Kimberley J. Haines, PhD, BHSc, discuss implementing post-ICU clinics and peer support groups following critical illness to help reduce the burden of post-intensive care syndrome.
Kyle B. Enfield, MD, and Kimberley J. Haines, PhD, BHSc, discuss implementing post-ICU clinics and peer support groups following critical illness to help reduce the burden of post-intensive care syndrome.
Kyle B. Enfield, MD, and Michael J. Connor Jr, MD, discuss when to start renal replacement therapy (RRT) in critically ill patients
Kyle B. Enfield, MD, and Michael J. Connor Jr, MD, discuss when to start renal replacement therapy (RRT) in critically ill patients
Kyle B. Enfield, MD, and Sheila A. Alexander, BSN, PhD, RN, FCCM, review targeted temperature management, especially its use in treating intracerebral hemorrhage
Kyle B. Enfield, MD, and Sheila A. Alexander, BSN, PhD, RN, FCCM, review targeted temperature management, especially its use in treating intracerebral hemorrhage
Kyle B. Enfield, MD, and Craig M. Lilly, MD, FCCM, examine tele-ICUs. Dr. Lilly presented on this topic at the 48th Critical Care Congress
Kyle B. Enfield, MD, and Craig M. Lilly, MD, FCCM, examine tele-ICUs. Dr. Lilly presented on this topic at the 48th Critical Care Congress
Kyle B. Enfield, MD, and Paula Ferrada, MD, discuss Dr. Ferrada's talk from the 48th Critical Care Congress titled Clostridium difficile: Sparring With Spores
Kyle B. Enfield, MD, and Paula Ferrada, MD, discuss Dr. Ferrada's talk from the 48th Critical Care Congress titled Clostridium difficile: Sparring With Spores
Kyle B. Enfield, MD, speaks with John W. Devlin, PharmD, FCCM, about the article: Clinical Practice Guidelines for the Prevention and Management of Pain, Agitation/Sedation, Delirium, Immobility, and Sleep Disruption in Adult Patients in the ICU
Kyle B. Enfield, MD, speaks with John W. Devlin, PharmD, FCCM, about the article: Clinical Practice Guidelines for the Prevention and Management of Pain, Agitation/Sedation, Delirium, Immobility, and Sleep Disruption in Adult Patients in the ICU
Kyle B. Enfield, MD, speaks with SCCM President Jerry J. Zimmerman, MD, PhD, FCCM, about the 2018 presidential address on high-value care that Dr. Zimmerman presented at the Society's 47th Critical Care Congress in San Antonio, Texas.
Kyle B. Enfield, MD, speaks with SCCM President Jerry J. Zimmerman, MD, PhD, FCCM, about the 2018 presidential address on high-value care that Dr. Zimmerman presented at the Society's 47th Critical Care Congress in San Antonio, Texas.