The right treatment, at the right time

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, we spotlight two sections shaping the way we optimise treatment for critically ill patients: the Cardiovascular Dynamics Section and the Pharmacology and Pharmacotherapy Section.

The Cardiovascular Dynamics Section supports education and research from pathophysiology to treatment, aiming to be a global reference point for intensivists with an interest in cardiovascular dynamics. By improving physicians’ knowledge and fostering international collaborations, the section works to translate haemodynamic understanding into better patient outcomes.

The Pharmacology and Pharmacotherapy Section envisions a future where every intensive care patient benefits from optimised, personalised, and safe medication. Through multiprofessional education, cross-section collaboration, and research into pharmacokinetic and pharmacodynamic principles, the section drives excellence in medication management — from evidence-based clinical pharmacy to emerging fields such as pharmacogenomics and AI in drug therapy.

Together, these two sections reflect a shared ambition: ensuring that the right treatment reaches the right patient at the right time — from haemodynamic optimisation to personalised pharmacotherapy.

This month, we invite you to explore our featured scientific interviews and curated resources, and to reflect on how cardiovascular dynamics and pharmacotherapy intersect to shape your daily clinical decisions.

Because in intensive care, improving outcomes is not only about understanding what to give — it is about knowing how, when, and why it works.

RESOURCES: 

 Webinars & Podcasts
🔹2026 SSC: Haemodynamic & Fluid Management
🔹Nonadrenergic vasopressors – STATE OF THE ART
🔹Critical Care Pharmacy: Advancing Patient Outcomes Through Expertise and Collaboration
🔹Fluid management and mechanical ventilation strategies

LIVE Top Talks
🔹Spontaneously breathing patients
🔹Mechanically ventilated patients: controlled and patient-triggered modes

ICM Articles
🔹Venous return versus cardiac function: who drives the circulation?
🔹Dynamic indices of fluid responsiveness: physiological basis and clinical limits
🔹Demonstration of the acute hemodynamic effects of dynamic left ventricular outflow obstruction

SCIENTIFIC INTERVIEW:

In this month’s scientific interview, Ashish Khanna (Winston-Salem, US) dives into one of the hottest topics in intensive care — what’s new in shock management. He shares the latest evidence and emerging approaches, discusses how advancing monitoring tools and technology are helping clinicians detect and treat shock more effectively, and looks ahead at the innovations and research directions that will most shape the future of personalised shock management in the ICU.