Journal of Critical Care 29 (2014) 889
Contents lists available at ScienceDirect
Journal of Critical Care journal homepage: www.jccjournal.org
Editorial December 2014: A year in transition
The December issue of the Journal of Critical Care highlights a number of important, controversial, and innovative topics. The open access article “The association of intensivists with failure-to-rescue rates in outlier hospitals: Results of a national survey of intensive care unit organizational characteristics” by Elliot Wakearn and colleagues is an interesting and important look at the demographics that create national statistics. The clear challenge is to hospitals with a high Medicaid patient population and affiliated level I trauma center; the results imply that the presence of intensivists on the rapid response teams when deployed could add significantly to the performance of the team and subsequent rescue performance. I am confident readers will find the conclusions interesting and the implications provocative. Resource utilization and administrative reorganization may provide partial solutions to the lower rates reported in the survey. The issue also features the conclusion of the series “Death by Neurologic Criteria 1968-2014: Changing Interpretations” with the remaining 3 manuscripts. The selection has been an experiment for the Journal, and I welcome any reader comments on the manuscripts themselves or on the concept of providing a serialized selection of related research articles. There are a number of subjects that could benefit from a similar approach, and authors are encouraged to develop proposals for future consideration. On a different note, the issue also features a series of manuscripts conceived during the recent WFSICCM International Congress held in Durban, South Africa. Meeting organizers used the opportunity afforded by the presence of international critical care leaders to stimulate a number of targeted workgroups. Featured in this issue are 3 manuscripts that explore the general topic of withholding and withdrawing life support in special situations. The manuscripts have undergone extensive peer review, and although a product stimulated by the international meeting, the information and opinion should not be regarded as an official statement of either the WFSICCM or the Journal. Increasing activity of the letters section has produced a number of interesting dialogues between authors and readers of recently published manuscripts as well as an additional and thoughtful discussion stimulated by one of the brain death manuscripts. Readers are encouraged to communicate with the Journal to provide the editorial staff with information necessary to increase its relevance to controversial issues in clinical practice. Despite the interest generated in special sections, the majority of the December issue is composed of more traditional material that includes focused areas in communication and teamwork, outcome studies, and cardiac and renal disease. The Journal accommodates the disparate and wide ranging interests of critical care physicians in the Clinical Potpourri section, and text and media rich studies appear in the electronic section, which is capable of providing high-fidelity access to this material. The Journal increased page count again in 2014; I would like to
http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.jcrc.2014.09.006 0883-9441/© 2014 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.
thank Elsevier for providing the means to ensure authors' access to a leading publication in the field. Manuscript submissions remain robust, and visits to the jccjournal.org Web site continue to grow and article downloads increased again this year. The direct links from our Web site to the WFSICCM and SCAI home pages provide a valuable resource for easy contact with our partner societies, and further improvements are being investigated to increase member benefits for the 2 organizations. An interesting development has been an increased number of submissions dealing with communication and teamwork, post–intensive care unit (ICU) discharge stress disorders, the importance of real-time nutritional assessment and modification, and the importance of exercise regimens and physiotherapy support in improving ICU outcomes. The role of the ICU physician outside the ICU is obviously expanding, and the importance of scarce resource husbandry continued to gain attention with increased submissions related to outcome prediction and the impact (or lack thereof) of biomarkers in validating the models. Use of technology is increasing, and ECMO use continues to gain prominence across a wide range of conditions. There have been a number of enquiries regarding the Journal's approach to case reports and series and basic science/animal studies. As a general rule, the primary publication focus is on clinically relevant studies that highlight current problems and developments in critical care practice relevant to the multiple professionals who compose the critical care team and are responsible for patient care in a varied and resource disparate international environment. Case reports can and do provide important insight; frequently, their general relevance is limited, and appropriateness for publication cannot be established. Similar remarks are true for animal studies. Obviously, there are exceptions to any statement, and generally applicable studies of all varieties are encouraged for submission. Undoubtedly, 2015 will continue to provide new challenges and require continued analysis and refinement of established techniques. The Journal of Critical Care looks forward to receiving your submissions as the scientific community's advances keep pace with the increasing challenges inherent in the management of the critically ill and injured patients worldwide. I anticipate the continued growth of the Journal and invite all readers to contact me if there are areas of our specialty that are underrepresented or require further elucidation. It is a privilege to serve as the Editor for another year, and I look forward to receiving your submissions, comments, and suggestions in the year to come.
Philip D. Lumb, M.B., B.S., MCCM Los Angeles, CA
Contents lists available at ScienceDirect
Journal of Critical Care journal homepage: www.jccjournal.org
Editorial December 2014: A year in transition
The December issue of the Journal of Critical Care highlights a number of important, controversial, and innovative topics. The open access article “The association of intensivists with failure-to-rescue rates in outlier hospitals: Results of a national survey of intensive care unit organizational characteristics” by Elliot Wakearn and colleagues is an interesting and important look at the demographics that create national statistics. The clear challenge is to hospitals with a high Medicaid patient population and affiliated level I trauma center; the results imply that the presence of intensivists on the rapid response teams when deployed could add significantly to the performance of the team and subsequent rescue performance. I am confident readers will find the conclusions interesting and the implications provocative. Resource utilization and administrative reorganization may provide partial solutions to the lower rates reported in the survey. The issue also features the conclusion of the series “Death by Neurologic Criteria 1968-2014: Changing Interpretations” with the remaining 3 manuscripts. The selection has been an experiment for the Journal, and I welcome any reader comments on the manuscripts themselves or on the concept of providing a serialized selection of related research articles. There are a number of subjects that could benefit from a similar approach, and authors are encouraged to develop proposals for future consideration. On a different note, the issue also features a series of manuscripts conceived during the recent WFSICCM International Congress held in Durban, South Africa. Meeting organizers used the opportunity afforded by the presence of international critical care leaders to stimulate a number of targeted workgroups. Featured in this issue are 3 manuscripts that explore the general topic of withholding and withdrawing life support in special situations. The manuscripts have undergone extensive peer review, and although a product stimulated by the international meeting, the information and opinion should not be regarded as an official statement of either the WFSICCM or the Journal. Increasing activity of the letters section has produced a number of interesting dialogues between authors and readers of recently published manuscripts as well as an additional and thoughtful discussion stimulated by one of the brain death manuscripts. Readers are encouraged to communicate with the Journal to provide the editorial staff with information necessary to increase its relevance to controversial issues in clinical practice. Despite the interest generated in special sections, the majority of the December issue is composed of more traditional material that includes focused areas in communication and teamwork, outcome studies, and cardiac and renal disease. The Journal accommodates the disparate and wide ranging interests of critical care physicians in the Clinical Potpourri section, and text and media rich studies appear in the electronic section, which is capable of providing high-fidelity access to this material. The Journal increased page count again in 2014; I would like to
http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.jcrc.2014.09.006 0883-9441/© 2014 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.
thank Elsevier for providing the means to ensure authors' access to a leading publication in the field. Manuscript submissions remain robust, and visits to the jccjournal.org Web site continue to grow and article downloads increased again this year. The direct links from our Web site to the WFSICCM and SCAI home pages provide a valuable resource for easy contact with our partner societies, and further improvements are being investigated to increase member benefits for the 2 organizations. An interesting development has been an increased number of submissions dealing with communication and teamwork, post–intensive care unit (ICU) discharge stress disorders, the importance of real-time nutritional assessment and modification, and the importance of exercise regimens and physiotherapy support in improving ICU outcomes. The role of the ICU physician outside the ICU is obviously expanding, and the importance of scarce resource husbandry continued to gain attention with increased submissions related to outcome prediction and the impact (or lack thereof) of biomarkers in validating the models. Use of technology is increasing, and ECMO use continues to gain prominence across a wide range of conditions. There have been a number of enquiries regarding the Journal's approach to case reports and series and basic science/animal studies. As a general rule, the primary publication focus is on clinically relevant studies that highlight current problems and developments in critical care practice relevant to the multiple professionals who compose the critical care team and are responsible for patient care in a varied and resource disparate international environment. Case reports can and do provide important insight; frequently, their general relevance is limited, and appropriateness for publication cannot be established. Similar remarks are true for animal studies. Obviously, there are exceptions to any statement, and generally applicable studies of all varieties are encouraged for submission. Undoubtedly, 2015 will continue to provide new challenges and require continued analysis and refinement of established techniques. The Journal of Critical Care looks forward to receiving your submissions as the scientific community's advances keep pace with the increasing challenges inherent in the management of the critically ill and injured patients worldwide. I anticipate the continued growth of the Journal and invite all readers to contact me if there are areas of our specialty that are underrepresented or require further elucidation. It is a privilege to serve as the Editor for another year, and I look forward to receiving your submissions, comments, and suggestions in the year to come.
Philip D. Lumb, M.B., B.S., MCCM Los Angeles, CA
