Publications

<title>Abstract</title> Purpose To generate consensus and provide expert clinical practice statements for the management of adult sepsis in resource-limited settings. Methods An international multidisciplinary Steering Committee with expertise in sepsis management and including a Delphi methodologist was convened by the Asia Pacific Sepsis Alliance (APSA). The committee selected an international panel of clinicians and researchers with expertise in sepsis management. A Delphi process based on an iterative approach was used to obtain the final consensus statements. Results A stable consensus was achieved for 30 (94%) of the statements by 41 experts after four survey rounds. These include consensus on managing patients with sepsis outside a designated critical care area, triggers for escalating clinical management and criteria for safe transfer to another facility. The experts agreed on the following: in the absence of serum lactate, clinical parameters such as altered mental status, capillary refill time and urine output may be used to guide resuscitation; special considerations regarding the volume of fluid used for resuscitation, especially in tropical infections, including the use of simple tests to assess fluid responsiveness when facilities for advanced hemodynamic monitoring are limited; use of Ringer's lactate or Hartmann's solution as balanced salt solutions; epinephrine when norepinephrine or vasopressin are unavailable; and the administration of vasopressors via a peripheral vein if central venous access is unavailable or not feasible. Similarly, where facilities for investigation are unavailable, there was consensus for empirical antimicrobial administration without delay when sepsis was strongly suspected, as was the empirical use of antiparasitic agents in patients with suspicion of parasitic infections. Conclusion Using a Delphi method, international experts reached consensus to generate expert clinical practice statements providing guidance to clinicians worldwide on the management of sepsis in resource-limited settings. These statements complement existing guidelines where evidence is lacking and add relevant aspects of sepsis management that are not addressed by current international guidelines. Future studies are needed to assess the effects of these practice statements and address remaining uncertainties.

Artificial Intelligence (AI) is rapidly transforming the landscape of critical care, offering opportunities for enhanced diagnostic precision and personalized patient management. However, its integration into ICU clinical practice presents significant challenges related to equity, transparency, and the patient-clinician relationship. To address these concerns, a multidisciplinary team of experts was established to assess the current state and future trajectory of AI in critical care. This consensus identified key challenges and proposed actionable recommendations to guide AI implementation in this high-stakes field. Here we present a call to action for the critical care community, to bridge the gap between AI advancements and the need for humanized, patient-centred care. Our goal is to ensure a smooth transition to personalized medicine while, (1) maintaining equitable and unbiased decision-making, (2) fostering the development of a collaborative research network across ICUs, emergency departments, and operating rooms to promote data sharing and harmonization, and (3) addressing the necessary educational and regulatory shifts required for responsible AI deployment. AI integration into critical care demands coordinated efforts among clinicians, patients, industry leaders, and regulators to ensure patient safety and maximize societal benefit. The recommendations outlined here provide a foundation for the ethical and effective implementation of AI in critical care medicine.

Respiratory variations in stroke volume and its derivates are affected by RR, but caval index was unaffected. This suggests that right and left indices of ventricular preload variation are dissociated. At high RRs, the ability to predict the response to fluids of stroke volume variations and its derivate may be limited, whereas caval index can still be used.

Both lactate concentrations and intramucosal pH represent reliable prognostic indicators in severe sepsis, and their combination improves the prognostic assessment in these patients. Both variables are better prognostic indicators than oxygen-derived variables. Intramural PCO2 appears to be a more specific variable than intramucosal pH, which partially reflects systemic metabolic acidosis. Combined determinations of blood lactate concentrations and intramucosal pH or intramural PCO2 may help to predict outcome from severe sepsis.