Since 1990, ESICM has been committed to producing guidelines and consensus statements from colleagues within the society as well as in collaboration with other international societies to provide the best quality evidence for clinicians at the bedside. These manuscripts have been published in the journal Intensive Care Medicine and other leading journals (endorsement from ESICM does not imply automatic acceptance for publication in ICM journal).

If you wish to propose guidelines or consensus statements, please write to research@esicm.org and we will forward your request to the Chair of the Guidelines Group.

At the end of 2020, the ESICM Executive Committee decided to initiate the development of guidelines.  The society is fortunate enough to benefit from the expertise of renowned specialists and leaders in a substantial variety of topics in intensive care. Therefore it was decided to make a selection and to begin with four guidelines on ultrasound, antimicrobial, fluids and acute respiratory distress syndrome.

 

under development:

Guideline about antimicrobial stewardship for severe infections and sepsis. The co-leaders are Jan De Waele (Ghent University Hospital, Belgium) and Garyphallia Poulakou (National and Kapodistrian University of Athens, Greece). Development in progress.

Guideline about fluid therapy in the ICU. The co-leaders are Daniel De Backer (CHIREC, Brussels, Belgium) and Morten Hyllander Møller  (University Hospital Rigshospitalet, Copenhagen, Denmark). Development in progress.

ESICM Consensus Conference on shock diagnosis and haemodynamic monitoring in the ICU. The co-chairs are Michel Chew (University of Lund, Sweden) and Xavier Monnet (University of Paris Saclay, France).

Transfusion Guideline part III – reversal of anticoagulants in the bleeding critically ill (A. Vlaar, Amsterdam, The Netherlands).

Weaning from Mechanical ventilation (joint guideline with ERS) (co-chairs are John Laffey, Nicole Juffermans, Martin Dres, Paolo Navalesi)

ESICM Consensus Guidelines  on Palliative and End of Life Care in ICU patients. The co-chairs are Elie Azoulay (University Hospital St-Louis, Paris, France),   Jozef Kesecioglu (University Medical Centre, Utrecht, The Netherlands), Katerina Rusinova (General University Hospital, Prague, Czechia).

2024

Alexandre Demoule, Maxens Decavele, Massimo Antonelli, Luigi Camporota et al. Dyspnoea in acutely ill mechanically ventilated adult patients: an ERS/ESICM statement. Intensive Care Med (2024) 50:159–180. https://doi.org/10.1007/s00134-023-07246-x.  Published on 22 February 2024.

Wieruszewski et al. Reporting of Norepinephrine Formulations in Critical Care from the Society of Critical Care Medicine and European Society of Intensive Care Medicine Joint Task Force. Critical Care Medicine (2024).

 

2023

Giacomo Grasselli, Carolyn S. Calfee, Luigi Camporota, Daniele Poole  et al. ESICM guidelines on acute respiratory distress syndrome: definition, phenotyping and respiratory support strategies. Intensive Care Med (2023). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00134-023-07050-7. Published in open access on 16 June 2023.

Martin-Loeches et al.  ERS/ESICM/ESCMID/ALAT guidelines for the management of severe community-acquired pneumonia. Intensive Care Med. 2023 Jun;49(6):615-632.

 

2022

Sandroni, C., Nolan, J.P., Andersen, L.W. et al. ERC-ESICM guidelines on temperature control after cardiac arrest in adults. Intensive Care Med (2022). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00134-022-06620-5. Published on 28 January 2022.

 

2021

Robba, C., Wong, A., Poole, D. et al. Basic ultrasound head-to-toe skills for intensivists in the general and neuro intensive care unit population: consensus and expert recommendations of the European Society of Intensive Care Medicine Intensive Care Med 47, 1347–1367 (2021). doi: 10.1007/s00134-021-06486-z. Free PMC article.

Paul M et al., European Society of Clinical Microbiology and Infectious Diseases (ESCMID) guidelines for the treatment
of infections caused by multidrug-resistant Gram-negative bacilli (endorsed by European society of intensive care medicine), Clinical
Microbiology and Infection, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.cmi.2021.11.025

Transfusion strategies in non-bleeding critically ill adults: a clinical practice guideline from the European Society of Intensive Care Medicine. Vlaar AP, Oczkowski S, de Bruin S, Wijnberge M, Antonelli M, Aubron C, Aries P, Duranteau J, Juffermans NP, Meier J, Murphy GJ, Abbasciano R, Muller M, Shah A, Perner A, Rygaard S, Walsh TS, Guyatt G, Dionne JC, Cecconi M.Intensive Care Med. 2020 Apr;46(4):673-696. doi: 10.1007/s00134-019-05884-8. Epub 2020 Jan 7. PMID: 31912207. Free PMC article.

 

2020

Noninvasive respiratory support in the hypoxaemic peri-operative/periprocedural patient: a joint ESA/ESICM guideline. Intensive Care Med.(2020).

Surviving Sepsis Campaign International Guidelines for the Management of Septic Shock and Sepsis-Associated Organ Dysfunction in Children.  Intensive Care Med 46, 10–67 (2020). Executive Summary.

Updated nomenclature of delirium and acute encephalopathy: statement of ten Societies. Intensive Care Med. (2020).

Antimicrobial Therapeutic Drug Monitoring (TDM) in Critically Ill Adult Patients –  a position paper. Intensive Care Med. 2020 Jun;46(6): 1127-1153

 

Antimicrobial de-escalation in critically ill patients: a position statement from a task force of the European Society of Intensive Care Medicine (ESICM) and European Society of Clinical Microbiology and Infectious Diseases (ESCMID) Critically Ill Patients Study Group (ESGCIP)Intensive Care Medicine Volume 46, pages245–265 (2020). (PMID:31781835)

 

Fluid therapy in neurointensive care patients: ESICM consensus and clinical practice recommendations. Intensive Care Med. 2018 Apr;44(4):449-463.

Guidelines for the diagnosis and management of critical illness-related corticosteroid insufficiency (CIRCI) in critically ill patients (Part II). Crit Care Med. 2018 Apr;44(4):474-477.

Second consensus on the assessment of sublingual microcirculation in critically ill patients: results from a task force of the European Society of Intensive Care Medicine. Intensive Care Med. 2018 , Volume 44, Issue 3, pages 281–299

 

2017

Guidelines for the diagnosis and management of critical illness-related corticosteroid insufficiency (CIRCI) in critically ill patients (Part I). Intensive Care Med. 2017 , Volume 43, Issue 12, pages 1751–1763

Recommendations for mechanical ventilation of critically ill children from the Paediatric Mechanical Ventilation Consensus Conference (PEMVECC).Intensive Care Med. 2017 Dec;43(12):1764-1780

International ERS/ESICM/ESCMID/ALAT guidelines for the management of hospital-acquired pneumonia and ventilator-associated pneumonia: Guidelines for the management of hospital-acquired pneumonia (HAP)/ventilator-associated pneumonia (VAP). Eur Respir J. 2017 Sep 10;50(3).

An Official American Thoracic Society/European Society of Intensive Care Medicine/Society of Critical Care Medicine Clinical Practice Guideline: Mechanical Ventilation in Adult Patients with Acute Respiratory Distress Syndrome. Am J Respir Crit Care Med. 2017 May 1;195(9):1253-1263. Erratum

Early enteral nutrition in critically ill patients Clinical practice guidelines. Intensive Care Medicine. 2017;43(3):380-398.

Surviving Sepsis Campaign: International Guidelines for Management of Sepsis and Septic Shock: 2016. Intensive Care Med. 2017 Mar;43(3):304-377.

 

2016

An Official ATS/AACN/ACCP/ESICM/SCCM Policy Statement: Responding to Requests for Potentially Inappropriate Treatments in Intensive Care Units. Am J Respir Crit Care Med. 2015 Jun 1;191(11):1318-30.

Ventilatory support of patients with sepsis or septic shock in resource-limited settings. Intensive Care Medicine. 2016;42:100-103.

2015

2014

Consensus on circulatory shock and haemodynamic monitoring. Task force of the European Society of Intensive Care MedicineIntensive Care MedicineVolume 40, Issue 12 / December, 2014  

Consensus Summary Statement of the International Multidisciplinary Consensus Conference on Multimodality Monitoring in Neurocritical Care. A statement for healthcare professionals from the Neurocritical Care Society and the European Society of Intensive Care Medicine. Intensive Care Medicine, Volume 40, Issue 9 / September, 2014

Clinical practice guideline on diagnosis and treatment of hyponatraemia.  Intensive Care Medicine, Volume 40, Issue 3 / March, 2014

2013

Surviving Sepsis Campaign: International guidelines for management of severe sepsis and septic shock, 2012. Intensive Care Medicine – Jan 2013

2012

Mortality after surgery in Europe: a 7 day cohort study.Pearse RM. European Surgical Outcomes Study. (EuSOS) group for the Trials groups of the European Society of Intensive Care Medicine and the European Society of Anaesthesiology. Lancet. 2012 Sep 22;380(9847):1059-65. doi: 10.1016/S0140-6736(12)61148-9.

Acute Respiratory Distress Syndrome – The Berlin Definition. The ARDS Definition Task Force. JAMA. 2012;307(23):2526-2533.

Prospectively defined indicators to improve the safety and quality of care for critically ill patients: a report from the Task Force on Safety and Quality of the European Society of Intensive Care Medicine (ESICM)Intensive Care Med. 2012 Jan 26 [Epub ahead of print]

2011

Recommendations on basic requirements for intensive care units: structural and organisational aspects. Intensive Care Med. 2011 Oct;37(10):1575-87. Epub 2011 Sep 15

International expert statement on training standards for critical care ultrasonography Expert Round Table on Ultrasound in ICU. Intensive Care Med. 2011 Jul;37(7):1077-83. Epub 2011 May 26

Recommendations on basic requirements for intensive care units: structural and organisational aspects. Intensive Care Medicine, June 2011

2010

An Official ATS/ERS/ESICM/SCCM/SRLF Statement: Prevention and Management of Acute Renal Failure in the ICU Patient: an international consensus conference in intensive care medicine.ATS/ERS/ESICM/SCCM/SRLF Ad Hoc Committee on Acute Renal Failure. Am J Respir Crit Care Med. 2010 May 15;181(10):1128-55

2008

Surviving Sepsis Campaign: International guidelines for management of severe sepsis and septic shock: 2008. Intensive Care Medicine Vol 34:17-60 Erratum

ESC guidelines for the diagnosis and treatment of acute and chronic heart failure 2008: the Task Force for the diagnosis and treatment of acute and chronic heart failure 2008 of the European Society of Cardiology. Developed in collaboration with the Heart Failure Association of the ESC (HFA) and endorsed by the European Society of Intensive Care Medicine (ESICM).ESC Committee for Practice Guidelines (CPG). Eur J Heart Fail. 2008 Oct;10(10):933-89. Epub 2008 Sep 16. Review. No abstract available. Erratum in: Eur J Heart Fail. 2010 Apr;12(4):416. Dosage error in article text. Eur J Heart Fail. 2009 Jan;11(1):110

2007

Management of bleeding following major trauma: a European guidelineCritical Care 2007, 11:R17

The European Society of Intensive Care Medicine (ESICM) and the Surviving Sepsis Campaign (SSC).Intensive Care Med. 2007 Mar;33(3):423-5. Epub 2007 Feb 16. 

2005

Executive summary of the guidelines on the diagnosis and treatment of acute heart failure. Rev Esp Cardiol. 2005 Apr;58(4):389-429. Review. Original language-Spanish. No abstract available

The European Union Directive on Clinical Research: present status of implementation in EU member states’ legislations with regard to the incompetent patient.Intensive Care Medicine Vol 31(3): 476-479, 2005. 

2004

Surviving Sepsis Campaign guidelines for management of severe sepsis and septic shock.Intensive Care Medicine. Vol 30(5): 536-555, 2004.

The Surviving Sepsis Campaign guidelines for the management of severe sepsis and septic shock:   Background, recommendations, and discussion from an evidence-based review. A supplement to Critical Care Medicine Vol 32 (11): S445-S597, 2004.

2001

2001 SCCM/ESICM/ACCP/ATS/SIS: International Sepsis Definitions Conference. (ESICM Section on Sepsis) Intensive Care Medicine. Vol 29(4): 530-538, 2003.

European Task Force on ventilator-associated pneumonia (VAP)(ERS/ESICM/ESCMID/ESA) Eur Respir J. 2001 May;17(5):1034-45 PMID: 11488306 

1999

Recommendations for intra-hospital transport of the severely head injured patient. ESICM Working group on Neurosurgical intensive care. Intensive Care Medicine. Vol 25(12): 1441-1443, 1999

1998

Guidelines for the pre-hospital care of patients with severe head injuries. ESICM Working group on Neurosurgical intensive care. Intensive Care Medicine. Vol 24(11): 1221-1225, 1998 

1997

Informed consent for research purposes in intensive care patients in Europe Part IIIntensive Care Medicine. Vol 23(4): 435-439, 1997. 

1996

The SOFA (Sepsis-related Organ Failure Assessment) score to describe organ dysfunction/failure. (ESICM Working group on Sepsis-related problems) Intensive Care Med Vol 22(7): 707-710, 1996 

Guidelines for a training programme in intensive care medicine. Intensive Care Medicine.Vol 22(2): 166-172, 1996

1994

Guidelines for the utilisation of intensive care units. Intensive Care Medicine.Vol 20 (2): 163-164, 1994

Guidelines for training in intensive care medicine. Intensive Care Medicine. Vol 20(1): 80-81, 1994