KEY POINTS

1. By the year 2030, only 35% of the intensivists needed will be available to staff ICUs.
2. Mandatory intensivist consultation may reduce ICU mortality by as much as 29%.
3. Patients with acute lung injury or ARDS should be mechanically ventilated with tidal volumes of 6 mL/kg of ideal body weight.
4. Health care practitioner-driven ventilator weaning protocols can decrease the duration of mechanical ventilation.
5. Early goal-directed therapy may reduce mortality rates for patients with severe sepsis.
6. Routine use of PACs in critically ill patients is not recommended.
7. A comprehensive approach to central venous catheter insertions, including ultrasound guidance, maximum sterile-barrier precautions, and antibiotic-coated catheters, can reduce the rate of catheter-related bloodstream infections.
8. Sedative administration in the ICU should be guided by sedation scores and should be reassessed daily.
9. Strict glycemic control can reduce mortality and complications in surgical ICU patients.