Articles

Venovenous extracorporeal membrane oxygenation (VV-ECMO) has become a vital therapeutic option in managing severe acute respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS) when conventional interventions fail. The American Thoracic Society (ATS) in 2024 and the European Society of Intensive Care Medicine (ESICM) in 2023 released updated guidelines addressing the role of VV-ECMO. This article provides an overview of both guidelines, outlining their common ground and key distinctions without evaluating or favoring one approach over another.

Healthcare systems face increasing pressure to reduce their environmental footprint. Meeting regulatory demands and satisfying stakeholder expectations are just a few of the driving forces. Product Environmental Profiles (PEP) are becoming a powerful tool, providing transparent, reliable data on a product’s environmental performance. Based on comprehensive life cycle assessments, PEPs help hospitals make informed, sustainable purchasing decisions that support both environmental responsibility and financial performance.

Across healthcare systems worldwide, many hospitals still lack well-established structures to ensure efficient patient flow. The consequences? Increased health risks for patients, mental strain on healthcare workers, and economic losses for healthcare providers. But what causes this?

When is a digital patient flow management system a sensible solution? As a decision-maker and planner, how do I proceed in concrete terms, and what support can I expect from providers such as Getinge? Christian Cordes, Product Sales Manager for hospital IT solutions at Getinge, provides information and practical tips on how to approach this issue.

ECMO involves high-tech medicine – but not less nursing care. On the contrary, it is precisely the combination of advanced technology and individualized patient care that highlights how essential nursing competencies are. Tobias Wittler and Tobias Ochmann from Germany’s ECMO Network explain the professional, technical, and social skills nurses need to provide optimal care for ECMO patients – with a clear-eyed view of realities, challenges, and possible solutions.

ECMO (extracorporeal membrane oxygenation) is a critical intervention that can save lives when conventional treatments fail. But it also presents extraordinary challenges for healthcare professionals, particularly nurses. In Germany, a grassroots initiative led by critical care nurses has established a national peer network dedicated to strengthening ECMO nursing competence through direct communication, experience sharing, and collaborative standard development.

In pharmaceutical production, maintaining equipment uptime is essential for operational efficiency and process safety. Particularly in cleanroom environments, unplanned downtime can disrupt workflows, increase overhead costs, and in some cases contribute to delays in drug availability.

On average, more than five percent of patients in the EU develop what is known as a healthcare associated infection (HAI). These infections, which occur in addition to the illness that brought the patient into care in the first place, are meant to be reduced as much as possible through preventive measures. Swiss hospital Spital Limmattal has completely redesigned its in-house sterile processing department (CSSD). Today, the optimized sterilization unit meets the highest quality standards and is also certified to reprocess medical devices for third parties.

Volatile anesthetic agents are powerful greenhouse gases released into the atmosphere during every procedure. Reducing their use is therefore an urgent ecological priority. One increasingly popular and innovative strategy is the recycling of anesthetic gases. But why does it still make sense to prioritize reduction over recycling – and how can this be achieved safely and effectively using low-flow anesthesia?

Volatile anesthetics are potent greenhouse gases. Their targeted reduction is not only economically sensible, but also an important step toward environmental sustainability. We asked Prof. Dr. Jan Hendrickx, an expert in the kinetics of inhaled anesthetics and carrier gases, to share his recommendations on how hospitals can minimize the environmental impact of anesthesia gases.

From environmental protection and economic benefits to patient safety, low-flow anesthesia offers a plethora of benefits. But navigating its complexities has often posed challenges. Dr. Jan Hendrickx is an expert in the kinetics of inhaled agents and carrier gases. He shines a light on how automated systems are reshaping this practice, allowing clinicians to capitalize on its advantages and simultaneously navigate its complexities with ease.

Safety in the operating room (OR) depends on a multitude of factors: from room size and layout to increasingly sophisticated medical technology, and from hygiene and logistics to human factors. At the same time, traditional surgery is undergoing significant change – highly complex operating rooms are gaining increasing relevance. These fundamental transformations in the OR landscape, and consequently in working conditions, require appropriate adjustments to ensure both patient safety and the protection of OR staff.