Search for Articles:
Title / Keyword
Author / Affiliation / Email
Journal
Article Type
 
 
Advanced Search
 
Section
Special Issue
Volume
Issue
Number
Page
 
6.0
3.4
Journals
Life
Special Issues
Intensive Care Medicine: Current Concepts and Future Perspectives
share announcement

Intensive Care Medicine: Current Concepts and Future Perspectives

A special issue of Life (ISSN 2075-1729). This special issue belongs to the section "Medical Research".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: 31 August 2026 | Viewed by 2881

Special Issue Editor

Dr. Shinichi Watanabe

E-Mail
Guest Editor
Department of Physical Therapy, Faculty of Rehabilitation, Gifu University of Health Science, 2-92 Hi-gashiuzura, Gifu 500-8281, Japan
Interests: critically ill patients; sepsis; sarcopenia; physical therapy; early mobilization; early rehabilitation

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

This Special Issue, titled “Intensive Care Medicine: Current Concepts and Future Perspectives”, aims to explore contemporary advances and future directions in the multidisciplinary field of intensive care medicine. Critically ill patients often face complex physiological, metabolic, and functional challenges that require integrated and evidence-based approaches for optimal outcomes. This issue seeks to highlight novel strategies, technologies, and clinical frameworks that improve survival, recovery, and long-term quality of life after critical illness.

Recent progress in early rehabilitation, mechanical ventilation management, sepsis care, extracorporeal therapies, and artificial intelligence-driven monitoring has transformed the landscape of critical care. Moreover, the COVID-19 pandemic accelerated innovation in tele-intensive care, interprofessional collaboration, and data-driven decision-making. By bringing together international perspectives from clinicians, researchers, and educators, this Special Issue aims to clarify best practices and illuminate pathways for personalized and sustainable critical care delivery.

We welcome original research, reviews, clinical trials, and case-based studies focusing on intensive care physiology, treatment protocols, rehabilitation, and outcome prediction.

Topics of interest include (but are not limited to) the following:

  • Early mobilization and rehabilitation in the ICU;
  • Sepsis and organ dysfunction management;
  • Mechanical ventilation and weaning strategies;
  • Nutritional and metabolic support in critical illness;
  • Long-term outcomes and post-intensive care syndrome (PICS);
  • Technological innovations: AI, machine learning, and digital health in ICU.

By integrating current concepts with emerging evidence, this Special Issue aims to contribute to the evolution of intensive care medicine and inspire the next generation of clinical and research innovations.

Dr. Shinichi Watanabe
Guest Editor

Manuscript Submission Information

Manuscripts should be submitted online at www.mdpi.com by registering and logging in to this website. Once you are registered, click here to go to the submission form. Manuscripts can be submitted until the deadline. All submissions that pass pre-check are peer-reviewed. Accepted papers will be published continuously in the journal (as soon as accepted) and will be listed together on the special issue website. Research articles, review articles as well as short communications are invited. For planned papers, a title and short abstract (about 250 words) can be sent to the Editorial Office for assessment.

Submitted manuscripts should not have been published previously, nor be under consideration for publication elsewhere (except conference proceedings papers). All manuscripts are thoroughly refereed through a single-blind peer-review process. A guide for authors and other relevant information for submission of manuscripts is available on the Instructions for Authors page. Life is an international peer-reviewed open access monthly journal published by MDPI.

Please visit the Instructions for Authors page before submitting a manuscript. The Article Processing Charge (APC) for publication in this open access journal is 2600 CHF (Swiss Francs). Submitted papers should be well formatted and use good English. Authors may use MDPI's English editing service prior to publication or during author revisions.

Keywords

  • intensive care
  • early mobilization
  • sepsis
  • mechanical ventilation
  • rehabilitation
  • artificial intelligence
  • PICS
  • multidisciplinary collaboration

Benefits of Publishing in a Special Issue

  • Ease of navigation: Grouping papers by topic helps scholars navigate broad scope journals more efficiently.
  • Greater discoverability: Special Issues support the reach and impact of scientific research. Articles in Special Issues are more discoverable and cited more frequently.
  • Expansion of research network: Special Issues facilitate connections among authors, fostering scientific collaborations.
  • External promotion: Articles in Special Issues are often promoted through the journal's social media, increasing their visibility.
  • Reprint: MDPI Books provides the opportunity to republish successful Special Issues in book format, both online and in print.

Further information on MDPI's Special Issue policies can be found here.

Published Papers (2 papers)

Download All Papers
Order results
Result details
Show export options expand_more Show export options expand_less
Select all
Export citation of selected articles as:

Research

Jump to: Review

10 pages, 540 KB  
Article
Association Between Time to First Mobilization and Recovery of Oral Intake Function in Patients with Pneumonia: A Two-Center Retrospective Cohort Study
by Shinichi Watanabe, Takaaki Sakurai, Takahiro Kanaya, Takumi Iwasaki, Hyosuke Oshima, Tetsuya Furukawa, Tomohiro Yoshikawa, Seichi Nakahashi and Yasunari Morita
Life 2026, 16(4), 691; https://doi.org/10.3390/life16040691 - 20 Apr 2026
Viewed by 380
Abstract
Delayed recovery of oral intake is common in hospitalized patients with pneumonia, particularly among older adults with reduced physical activity. Despite the recent emphasis on early mobilization, the relationship between the timing of first mobilization and recovery of oral intake function remains unclear. [...] Read more.
Delayed recovery of oral intake is common in hospitalized patients with pneumonia, particularly among older adults with reduced physical activity. Despite the recent emphasis on early mobilization, the relationship between the timing of first mobilization and recovery of oral intake function remains unclear. Thus, this retrospective cohort study investigated the association between time to first mobilization and recovery of oral intake in patients hospitalized with pneumonia. We analyzed 431 admitted patients with pneumonia, including aspiration pneumonia and coronavirus disease 2019 pneumonia, at two institutions. The Functional Oral Intake Scale ≥ 4 (partial oral intake recovery) was designated as the primary outcome. The main exposure was the number of days from admission to first mobilization. Multivariable Cox proportional hazards models were used after appropriate adjustments. The median time to first mobilization was 4 days (IQR: 2–14 days). Longer time to first mobilization was significantly associated with delayed recovery of oral intake (HR: 0.96, 95% CI: 0.94–0.98, p < 0.001). Thus, early mobilization may promote the recovery of oral intake in patients with pneumonia. These findings suggest that avoiding excessive delays in mobilization may support the recovery of oral intake and swallowing function in hospitalized patients with pneumonia. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Intensive Care Medicine: Current Concepts and Future Perspectives)
►▼ Show Figures

Figure 1

Review

Jump to: Research

22 pages, 3191 KB  
Review
Airway Management in the ICU and Emergency Department in Resource-Limited Settings
by Sahil Kataria, Deven Juneja, Ravi Jain, Tonny Veenith and Prashant Nasa
Life 2026, 16(2), 195; https://doi.org/10.3390/life16020195 - 23 Jan 2026
Cited by 1 | Viewed by 2202
Abstract
Airway management is central to the care of critically ill patients, yet it remains one of the most challenging interventions in emergency departments and intensive care units. Patients often present with severe physiological instability, limited cardiopulmonary reserve, and high acuity, while clinicians often [...] Read more.
Airway management is central to the care of critically ill patients, yet it remains one of the most challenging interventions in emergency departments and intensive care units. Patients often present with severe physiological instability, limited cardiopulmonary reserve, and high acuity, while clinicians often work under constraints related to time for preparation, equipment availability, trained workforce, monitoring, and access to advanced rescue techniques. These challenges are particularly pronounced in low- and middle-income countries and other resource-limited or austere environments, where the margin for error is narrow and delays or repeated attempts in airway management may rapidly precipitate hypoxemia, hemodynamic collapse, or cardiac arrest. Although contemporary airway guidelines emphasize structured preparation and rescue pathways, many assume resources that are not consistently available in such settings. This narrative review discusses pragmatic, context-adapted strategies for airway management in constrained environments, with emphasis on physiology-first preparation, appropriate oxygenation and induction techniques, simplified rapid-sequence intubation, and the judicious use of basic airway adjuncts, supraglottic devices, and video laryngoscopy, where available. Adapted difficult airway algorithms, front-of-neck access in the absence of surgical backup, human factors, team training, and ethical considerations are also addressed. This review aims to support safer and effective airway management for critically ill patients in resource-limited emergency and intensive care settings. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Intensive Care Medicine: Current Concepts and Future Perspectives)
►▼ Show Figures

Figure 1

Show export options expand_more Show export options expand_less
Select all
Export citation of selected articles as:
 
Displaying articles 1-2
Back to TopTop