Landmark Studies in Critical Care: The Evidence Base of Contemporary Practice

The book is a curated collection of groundbreaking papers entrenched in evidence-based medicine to provide trainees and practitioners in critical care medicine with a handy tool for reference. This compilation highlights pivotal research papers that have significantly influenced clinical practice. The studies in this book are carefully selected based on a rigorous methodology and cover a wide range of critical topics. The studies present robust findings and offer guidance on improving clinical outcomes.

Critical care medicine is a relatively new area of specialization and many contentious topics have been the focus of research over the years. In the contemporary era of evidence-based medicine, researchers continue to search for reliable evidence. Despite an abundance of research, few papers have truly shaped the landscape. The book presents an overview of critical care research that has significantly influenced the field and impacted clinical practice. These studies represent landmarks in the history of critical care medicine, spearheaded by leaders in their research.

The book is designed to appeal to both trainees and practitioners in the field of critical care medicine.

Dr. Jose Chacko, MD, DA, DNB, EDIC, MBA, graduated in medicine and completed postgraduation in anesthesia from Medical College, Trivandrum. He is currently a senior consultant in critical care medicine at Narayana Health, Bangalore. He received advanced training in critical care medicine from leading hospitals in Australia and worked as a consultant in anesthesia and critical care with the National Health Service (NHS) in the United Kingdom. He has completed the European Diploma in Intensive Care (EDIC) from the European Society of Intensive Care Medicine (ESICM). He is a leading practitioner and teacher of critical care medicine in India. He has several publications in peer-reviewed journals and contributed to critical care and emergency medicine textbooks. He is a prolific speaker and participates in academic meetings focused on critical care medicine. 

Dr. Donald B. Chalfin, MD MS MPH FCCP FCCM, is an American board-certified intensivist and internist.  He graduated from the Mount Sinai School of Medicine and completed his residency in internal medicine at the Long Island Jewish Medical Center, and his fellowship at the Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center.  He has a master of health management (MS) degree from the Robert F. Wagner Graduate School of Public Health of New York University and a master of public health (MPH) degree from the Bloomberg School of Public Health of Johns Hopkins University.  He currently serves as an adjunct professor in the department of epidemiology and biostatistics of the University of California, San Francisco.  He has published in several areas of critical care medicine, including sepsis, scoring systems, cost-effectiveness analysis, and decision theory. He currently serves on the editorial board for the critical care medicine journal and contributes multiple editorial pieces. He has also been active in several organizations including the Society of Critical Care Medicine (SCCM).

Dr. Ian Seppelt, FANZCA, FCICM, graduated in medicine from the University of Sydney and working as a senior specialist in intensive care medicine at the Nepean Hospital, Sydney, and the University of Sydney Medical School, clinical professor in the Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences, Macquarie University, professorial fellow at the George Institute for Global Health, Sydney and adjunct professor (research) at Monash University. His research interests include critical care infection (including gut microbiology in critical illness), fluid resuscitation, complex airway management, and sedation and delirium in intensive care. He is also interested in neuroanaesthesia, neurocritical care, and clinical research ethics in critical illness. He has received NHMRC/MRFF grant funding for the SuDDICU, SPICE, and REMAP-CAP research programs.

 Dr. Swapnil Pawar, MD, FCICM, EDIC, CHSE, graduated from Maharashtra University of Health Sciences, Nashik. He completed his postgraduation in anesthesia from the Post Graduate Institute of Medical Education and Research (PGIMER), Chandigarh. He is a fellow of the College of Intensive Care Medicine (CICM), Australia and New Zealand, and has also completed his European Diploma in Intensive Care (EDIC) with the European Society of Intensive Care Medicine (ESICM). He is currently working as a consultant intensivist at the St. George Hospital in Sydney and is the supervisor of training for the College of Intensive Care Medicine. He is also pursuing his PhD in the field of cognitive load theory. He is a trained mediator/negotiator and a donation medical specialist with the New South Wales organ and tissue donation services. He is interested in simulation and medical education and is a certified simulation healthcare educator (CHSE) with the Society of Simulation in Healthcare (SSH). 

Dr. Gagan Brar, MD, DNB, EDIC, IDCCM, graduated in medicine and completed postgraduation in anesthesia from Kasturba Medical College, Manipal. She underwent training in critical care medicine at Manipal Hospital and Fortis Hospital, Bangalore, India. She is a fellow of the National Board of Examinations in Critical Care Medicine. She has completed the European Diploma in Intensive Care (EDIC) with the European Society of Intensive Care Medicine (ESICM). She is currently working as a consultant in critical care medicine, at Aster RV Hospital, Bangalore. Dr. Brar has published several papers in peer-reviewed journals and is an invited speaker for major academic meetings in critical care medicine.