Clinical Pathways
Structured, step-by-step ICU decision workflows — from clinical presentation and initial stabilization through diagnostic branching, targeted interventions, and reassessment loops. Designed as actionable bedside processes distinct from reference Knowledge Topics and Bedside Presentations.
Respiratory & Mechanical Ventilation Workflows
Ventilation initiation, lung-protective escalation, prone positioning, and liberation protocols.
Mechanical Ventilation Initiation Workflow
From post-intubation verification and lung-protective settings to mechanics optimization.
Mechanical Ventilation Liberation & Weaning
From readiness screening and spontaneous breathing trials to extubation and post-extubation support.
Prone Positioning Protocol for Severe ARDS
From eligibility screening and team preparation to 16-hour proning cycles and response evaluation.
Noninvasive Respiratory Support Escalation & Intubation Decision
From initial noninvasive modality selection to ROX index tracking and timely intubation triggers.
New ARDS Diagnosis — First 6 Hours
From recognition to lung-protective ventilation and severity-driven escalation.
Difficult Ventilator Weaning & Tracheostomy Workflow
From identifying weaning failure pathophysiology to progressive conditioning, tracheostomy timing (days 7–14), and speaking valve decannulation.
Acute Hypoxemia
From confirming true hypoxemia to identifying the underlying mechanism.
Hemodynamic & Shock Resuscitation Workflows
Initial shock bundling, fluid responsiveness testing, vasopressor/inotrope titration, and refractory escalation.
Initial Hemodynamic Resuscitation & Shock Bundling
From recognizing hypoperfusion and initial crystalloid bolus to dynamic fluid responsiveness assessment and vasopressor targets.
Vasopressor & Inotrope Initiation & Titration
From first-line norepinephrine titration to multi-agent vasopressor escalation and inotrope selection.
Refractory Shock Support Escalation
From multi-vasopressor failure to rescue non-adrenergic agents and mechanical circulatory support.
Hypotension
From confirming true hypotension to recognizing shock and its likely category.
Shock
Initial resuscitation and classification once shock is established.
Renal, Electrolyte & Acid-Base Workflows
Urgent RRT/CRRT indications, prescription, hyperkalemia membrane stabilization, and metabolic acidosis workup.
Renal Replacement Therapy & CRRT Initiation
From urgent 'AEIOU' indication screening and modality selection to vascular access, dosing, and anticoagulation.
Severe Hyperkalemia Emergency Management
From emergent cardiac membrane stabilization to intracellular shifting, elimination, and dialysis triggers.
Acute Severe Metabolic Acidosis Evaluation
From primary disorder confirmation and Anion Gap calculation to Winter's compensation, delta ratio, and targeted source control.
Acute Kidney Injury
From confirming AKI to classifying it by mechanism.
Metabolic Acidosis
From confirming the acid-base disorder to the anion-gap differential.
Hyperkalemia
From confirming true hyperkalemia to stabilizing, shifting, and eliminating potassium.
Sepsis & Infectious Disease Workflows
Surviving Sepsis 1-hour bundle execution, rapid source control, and 48–72h antimicrobial de-escalation.
Sepsis Recognition, Source Control & De-escalation
From SSC 2026 infection-likelihood/shock-based early treatment and source control to reassessment, de-escalation, and fluid stewardship.
Fever / Suspected Sepsis
From recognizing organ dysfunction to source identification and time-sensitive empiric therapy.
Hemostasis, Transfusion & Coagulopathy Workflows
Massive transfusion protocol (MTP), lethal triad reversal, targeted factor antidotes, and bleeding source control.
Massive Hemorrhage & Hemostatic Resuscitation
From emergent massive-hemorrhage protocol activation and early balanced component resuscitation to physiologic correction, targeted factor/anticoagulant reversal, and definitive source control.
Bleeding
From assessing hemodynamic stability to correcting reversible contributors to coagulopathy.
Sedation, Delirium & Daily ICU Liberation
Analgesia-first multimodal pain control, light sedation targeting, paired SAT/SBT, and ABCDEF delirium bundles.
Neurologic Emergency & Neurocritical Workflows
Acute herniation osmotherapy, emergent non-contrast CT, status epilepticus cEEG titration, and brain death determination.
Acute Neurologic Deterioration & Brain Death Workflow
From acute GCS drop and herniation emergency measures to emergent CT, neurocritical intervention, and death by neurologic criteria determination.
Status Epilepticus Emergency Management
From emergent first-line benzodiazepine administration to second-line IV non-sedating AEDs and continuous cEEG anesthetic burst suppression.
Altered Consciousness
From securing the basics to categorizing structural, toxic-metabolic, infectious, and seizure-related causes.
Nutrition Support & Enteral Feeding Workflows
Nutritional risk stratification, early enteral feeding advancement, feeding intolerance management, and TPN escalation.