ICU Clinical Guidelines

Comprehensive, evidence-based clinical guidelines for intensive care practice — synthesized from multiple professional society recommendations covering sepsis, ventilation, sedation, infection prevention, nutrition, hemostasis, renal support, post-arrest care, and transfusion medicine.

Records
12
Last revised
March 2026
Editorial responsibility
The Clinical Database

The ICU guideline library: twelve multi-part series synthesizing recommendations from multiple professional societies into copyright-free, clinically dependable references. Each series integrates evidence from 3–8 authoritative sources with full DOI-linked citations.

How These Series Are Built

Each series is a synthesis, not a summary of a single guideline. The relevant professional-society guidelines for a topic are read together, their recommendations integrated into one coherent clinical reference, and every substantive statement carries a numbered, DOI-linked citation back to its source. The sepsis series, for example, synthesizes the SCCM/ESICM Surviving Sepsis Campaign guidelines, the Sepsis-3 consensus definitions, and the IDSA position on the SEP-1 bundle; the CLABSI series draws on the CDC intravascular catheter guidelines and the SHEA/IDSA compendium. Each series’ hub page lists its complete source set in its footnotes.

Two series are deliberate exceptions: the Surviving Sepsis Campaign 2026 adult and pediatric series are structured single-source references, indexing the SCCM/ESICM 2026 guidelines recommendation by recommendation (129 adult, 61 pediatric) rather than blending them with other sources.

Long syntheses are split into sequential part pages (four to six per series) so each part loads fast and is individually citable. The parent department hub, Critical Care, indexes every part page directly.

Update Policy

Every page carries two dates in its metadata and JSON-LD: date (first published) and lastmod (last substantive revision). When a source society issues a new or updated guideline, the affected series is revised and its lastmod advances; an unchanged lastmod means the synthesis still reflects the sources cited on the page. When citing, prefer the lastmod date.

The Series

Resuscitation & Hemodynamics

GuidelineScope
Sepsis and Septic ShockSepsis-3 definitions, hour-1 bundle, vasopressor dosing, empiric antimicrobials by source, corticosteroids, and organ support
Surviving Sepsis Campaign 2026 (Adult)SSC/SCCM/ESICM 2026 international guidelines — 129 recommendations covering screening, antimicrobial therapy, hemodynamic management, respiratory support, adjunctive therapies, goals of care, transitions, and long-term outcomes
Surviving Sepsis Campaign 2026 (Children)SSC/SCCM/ESICM 2026 pediatric guidelines — 61 recommendations covering recognition, antimicrobials, fluid therapy, vasoactives, ventilation, corticosteroids, metabolic management, ECMO, immune therapies, and long-term follow-up
Post-Cardiac Arrest Care & TTMPost-ROSC management, targeted temperature management protocols, multimodal neuroprognostication, and seizure management

Respiratory

GuidelineScope
Mechanical Ventilation & ARDSBerlin criteria, lung-protective ventilation, ARDSNet PEEP/FiO2 tables, prone positioning, ECMO referral, and ventilator liberation
Ventilator-Associated PneumoniaVAP/VAE definitions, prevention bundles, CPIS scoring, MDR-stratified empiric antibiotics, and pathogen-specific treatment

Neurocritical Care & Sedation

GuidelineScope
Sedation, Analgesia, Delirium & Mobility (PADIS)ABCDEF bundle, BPS/CPOT/RASS/CAM-ICU scoring, sedative dosing, delirium management, early mobility, and sleep promotion

Infection Prevention

GuidelineScope
CLABSI PreventionInsertion and maintenance bundles, CHG bathing, CRBSI diagnosis and organism-specific management, and CUSP implementation

This series covers CLABSI in the critical care context. For CLABSI prevention program and bundle guidance outside the ICU, see the CLABSI Prevention guide tree in the Vascular Access department.

Nutrition & Metabolism

GuidelineScope
Nutrition in Critical IllnessNUTRIC scoring, enteral and parenteral nutrition, refeeding syndrome prevention, micronutrients, and 14 special populations

Hemostasis & Transfusion

GuidelineScope
VTE Prophylaxis in Critical CarePadua/Caprini/IMPROVE scoring, pharmacologic and mechanical prophylaxis, HIT management, and special ICU populations
Transfusion PracticeRBC/platelet/plasma/cryo thresholds, massive transfusion protocol, TEG/ROTEM interpretation, and TRALI vs TACO

Renal

GuidelineScope
Acute Kidney Injury & Renal Replacement TherapyKDIGO staging, conservative management, CRRT prescription with citrate anticoagulation, and special populations

Surviving Sepsis Campaign: International Guidelines for the Management of Sepsis and Septic Shock in Children 2026

Complete clinical reference for the 2026 Surviving Sepsis Campaign pediatric guidelines — 61 evidence-based recommendations covering recognition, antimicrobial therapy, fluid therapy, hemodynamic management, vasoactive medications, ventilation, corticosteroids, metabolic management, blood products, renal replacement therapy, ECMO, immune therapies, long-term follow-up, and prophylaxis in pediatric sepsis and septic shock.

guidelines•Mar 2026•guidelines

Surviving Sepsis Campaign: International Guidelines for Management of Sepsis and Septic Shock 2026

Complete clinical reference for the 2026 Surviving Sepsis Campaign international guidelines — 129 evidence-based recommendations covering screening, antimicrobial therapy, hemodynamic management, respiratory support, adjunctive therapies, goals of care, transitions, and long-term outcomes in adult sepsis and septic shock.

guidelines•Mar 2026•guidelines

VTE Prophylaxis in Critical Care: A Comprehensive Clinical Guideline

Evidence-based guideline for venous thromboembolism prevention in critically ill patients, including pharmacologic and mechanical prophylaxis, special populations, and monitoring.

guidelines•Mar 2026•guidelines

Ventilator-Associated Pneumonia: A Comprehensive Prevention and Management Guideline

Evidence-based guideline for VAP prevention bundles, diagnostic approaches, empiric and targeted antimicrobial therapy, and surveillance in mechanically ventilated patients.

guidelines•Mar 2026•guidelines

Transfusion Practice in Critical Care: A Comprehensive Clinical Guideline

Evidence-based guideline for red cell, platelet, plasma, and cryoprecipitate transfusion, massive transfusion protocols, transfusion reactions, and patient blood management in the critically ill.

guidelines•Mar 2026•guidelines

Sepsis and Septic Shock: A Comprehensive Clinical Management Guideline

Evidence-based guideline for screening, resuscitation, hemodynamic management, antimicrobial therapy, and organ support in sepsis and septic shock, synthesized from international critical care recommendations.

guidelines•Mar 2026•guidelines

Sedation, Analgesia, Delirium, and Mobility in Critical Care: A Comprehensive Clinical Guideline

Evidence-based guideline for pain assessment, sedation management, delirium prevention and treatment, early mobility, and sleep promotion in the ICU — the PADIS/ABCDEF bundle approach.

guidelines•Mar 2026•guidelines

Post-Cardiac Arrest Care and Targeted Temperature Management: A Comprehensive Clinical Guideline

Evidence-based guideline for post-ROSC management, targeted temperature management, neuroprognostication, seizure management, and long-term recovery after cardiac arrest.

guidelines•Mar 2026•guidelines

Nutrition in Critical Illness: A Comprehensive Clinical Guideline

Evidence-based guideline for nutritional assessment, enteral and parenteral nutrition, micronutrient supplementation, and special population management in the critically ill patient.

guidelines•Mar 2026•guidelines

Mechanical Ventilation and ARDS Management: A Comprehensive Clinical Guideline

Evidence-based guideline for lung-protective ventilation, prone positioning, PEEP optimization, rescue therapies, and ventilator liberation in acute respiratory distress syndrome.

guidelines•Mar 2026•guidelines