[Article]How to prevent Intensive Care Unit-acquired weakness: decrypting MV “bundles”
Patients on mechanical ventilation (MV) in the ICU (Intensive Care Unit) have high mortality rates, and, even among survivors, morbidity is significant. In Brazil, the average duration of mechanical ventilation in the Intensive Care Unit is around one week, and
[Article]How good is your ICU performance?
The eBook ICU Operational Indicators is the first volume of the collection 'How Good is Your ICU Performance?' It aims to demystify the significance, intricacies, and applications of healthcare indicators – the vital signposts that guide healthcare professionals, administrators, policymakers,
[Infographic] The evolution of the SOFA score: from 1994 to 2025
The assessment of organ dysfunction has just entered a new phase. The SOFA 2 score was developed by more than 80 international experts, using real data from over 3.4 million ICU admissions in 10 countries: A methodological leap compared to the
[Article] We need to be prepared for new outbreaks and health crises: a perspective for ICUs
During the years of 2020 and 2021, the SARS-COV2 (COVID-19) pandemic generated an unprecedented number of patients with severe pneumonia, requiring hospitalization and intensive care. In these months we observed the saturation and collapse of health systems, and the high
[Article] How to choose the best management system for your ICU: 5 essential criteria
The digitalization of intensive care medicine has profoundly transformed ICU operations. Nowadays, a management system (or software) is not just an administrative tool, but a central component for the safety, efficiency, and quality of care. The experience accumulated by thousands of
[E-book] Using the Epimed system for clinical research
On an annual basis, dozens of clinical trials are carried out in Brazil and other countries in Latam and Europe, using data from the Epimed Monitor system. In a recent review, we identified more than 50 publications in indexed scientific
[Article] The new era of the SOFA score: Data-driven innovations for intensive care medicine
The Sequential Organ Failure Assessment (SOFA) score is a clinical tool developed in the 1990s to assess the extent of organ dysfunction in critically ill patients, especially those admitted to intensive care units (ICUs). The score was initially introduced to
[Article] Occupancy rate as a vital metric in ICU operational optimisation
Rational resource use is vital in intensive care units (ICUs) due to their high complexity. Operational indicators offer a quantitative view of resource utilisation, aiding the ICU team in optimising staff deployment, equipment use, and bed availability. Among the most commonly
[Article] ICU Performance: What is the added value of prognostic scores?
Prognostic scoring systems were created to standardise the evaluation of illness severity in critically ill patients by converting complex clinical data into objective, measurable metrics. These scores allow clinicians and researchers to assess and compare risk-adjusted outcomes across various patient
[Article] Patient safety protocols in the ICU (Intensive Care Unit): how technology can prevent adverse events
Patient safety in Intensive Care Units (ICUs) is a clinical imperative. The use of innovative technologies in safety protocols opens a promising path to preventing adverse events, improving the quality of care, and achieving better results. Below, we explore some of