The CCCTG Patient and Family Engagement Committee has just launched the new website for patients and families who are experiencing, or have experienced, critical care. The purpose of the website is to support and engage patients and families in research.

The CCCTG is thrilled to support Drs. Nadia Roumeliotis and Oleksa Rewa so they can add to their experience by engaging in critical care research.  We are thankful to our partners, Fonds de recherche santé Québec and Alberta Health Services through the Critical Care Strategic Clinical Network for their contributions to the CCCTG Fellowship Program.

The RECOVER Program, lead by Dr. Margaret Herridge aims to elucidate the impact of critical illness and the caregiving situation on patients' and caregivers' long-term physical function and mental health.

The CCCTG contributes to the development of the report from the Canadian Institute of Health Information (CIHI) about the care in Canadian intensive care units. Click Learn More to access CIHI's report.

The TBI-Prognosis study aims at developing a prediction model to help provide objective information to patients and families on long-term prognosis in critically ill patients with severe traumatic brain injury. This multicenter prospective study is conducted by Dr Alexis Turgeon and a team of colleagues in 17 centers across Canada. Enrolment in the study has just been completed and 12-month follow-up outcome measures are ongoing.

François Lamontagne and the OVATION team have published the results from the pilot sutdy.  Click Learn More to view a video from Dr. Lamontagne and colleagues explaining the trial and the use of vasopressors in critically ill patients.

Acute kidney injury (AKI) is a common and increasingly encountered complication of critical illness. The STARRT-AKI research program aims to investigate strategies to starting acute renal replacement therapy in critically ill patients with severe AKI.

Researchers from the CCCTG investigated factors influencing the impact of clinical trials.  Authors found that investigator-lead clinical trials increasingly shape the knowledge base of critical care, in particular trials led by investigators within structured critical care research consortia.  Click Learn More to read the full article.

Dr. Dayre McNally, physician in CHEO’s pediatric intensive care unit, investigates how optimizing Vitamin D levels can help treat critically ill children. Click Learn More to view Dr. McNally's video.

All critically ill, mechanically ventilated patients in the Intensive Care Unit receive medications to relieve pain and anxiety. However, accumulation of these medications can be associated with serious complications. Researchers from the CCCTG compared sedation strategies in critically ill mechanically ventilated patients.

Article in Critical Care Medicine showed that it is feasible and acceptable to study the natural history of death after withdrawal of life sustaining therapy in the ICU.  The DePPaRT study aims to aims to provide much needed information to provide guidance to "donation after circulatory death (DCD)" practice.

The OPTICS research program lead by Drs. John Muscedere and François Lamontagne aims to understand differences in priorities between patients, citizens, decision-makers and researchers about research priorities and outcomes assessment in critical care clinical research.  Click on Learn More for a short video (in French only) presenting the OPTICS study.

Blood used for transfusions is perishable. But contrary to general belief, results from a new study from CCCTG researchers published today in the New England Journal of Medicine shows that blood stored for three weeks is just as good as fresh blood.

The results of the PROTECT Trial and the recent corresponding cost-effectiveness study showed better health outcomes and overall, lower health care costs when using low molecular weight heparin dalteparin for the prevention of venous thromboembolism in the ICU.