Improving outcomes through respiratory expertise

Each month, ESICM’s Topic of the Month brings together curated scientific content, expert interviews, and key resources from across our 15 specialist sections, helping you explore key themes in depth and stay at the forefront of ICU practice.

Because in a field that evolves as rapidly as ours, continuous learning is the foundation of better care for our patients.

This month, discover the Acute Respiratory Failure Section, led by Leo Heunks, which is dedicated to advancing research and education in the pathophysiology, diagnostics, and therapy of acute respiratory failure. From ventilatory support and respiratory monitoring to patient–ventilator interaction and weaning strategies, the section addresses some of the most critical challenges faced in intensive care.

As acute respiratory failure remains one of the leading causes of ICU admission and organ support worldwide, the section promotes collaboration, innovation, and scientific exchange to improve patient outcomes and bedside practice.

This month, we invite you to explore our featured scientific interview and curated resources, and to reflect on how respiratory physiology, diagnostics, and personalised ventilatory management influence your daily clinical decisions.

Because in intensive care, understanding respiratory failure is not only about supporting the lungs, but about optimising care for the whole patient.

RESOURCES: 

 Webinars & Podcasts
🔹From cruise ship to ICU: Hantavirus preparedness for Europe
🔹SSC Webinar 3: Haemodynamic and fluid management
🔹About permissive hypercapnia physiology and clinical recommendations
🔹Inflammatory subphenotypes in patients at risk of ARDS: evidence from the LIPS-A trial
🔹ARDS Phenotyping: from disease understanding to future bedside perspectives

LIVE Top Talks
🔹Effects of PEEP beyond the lung
🔹The new definition proposal and its limits

ICM Articles
🔹Rethinking extubation readiness in the neurocritical patient: from respiratory load to airway protection
🔹Ventilation/perfusion mismatch measured by electrical impedance tomography at the bedside: potentialities and challenges
🔹Heart–lungs interactions in mechanically ventilated patients: physiology and clinical implications

SCIENTIFIC INTERVIEW:

In this month’s scientific interview, Denise Battaglini (Genoa, Italy) explores the evolving understanding of ARDS subphenotypes and their clinical relevance. She explains how recent research has moved beyond treating ARDS as a single entity, identifying distinct biological subgroups that may respond differently to treatment. She also discusses how subphenotype-guided approaches could reshape clinical trial design and personalise patient management. Importantly, she highlights the challenges of bringing these concepts into everyday practice and looks ahead to a future where targeted, phenotype-driven strategies may meaningfully improve outcomes.