References and tools
Resource Index
Find calculators, templates, source material, and reference pages connected to SurgCritCare.
Educational use only. Confirm clinical decisions with current institutional policy and attending direction.
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Clinical Topic Guides
Focused topic guides from SurgCritCare source material.
Arterial Blood Gas (ABG) Interpretation
Stepwise ABG interpretation: pH, primary disorder, compensation, oxygenation assessment, and common patterns seen in the surgical ICU.
Acute TBI Management — Vella 2017
Acute traumatic brain injury review covering prevention of secondary injury, cerebral perfusion goals, intracranial pressure management, mass lesions, VTE...
Alcohol Withdrawal Syndrome
Alcohol Withdrawal Syndrome overview including symptom spectrum, CIWA assessment, risk factors for AWD, and treatment principles for surgical ICU patients.
Analgesia & Sedation in the Surgical ICU
Pain, agitation, and delirium management (PADIS) in the surgical ICU: analgesia-first approach, RASS sedation targets, SAT/SBT protocols, and multimodal pain...
Antihypertensives in the ICU
Severe acute hypertension in the ICU: end-organ consequences, antihypertensive mechanisms, and special considerations for TBI and post-cardiac surgery patients.
ARDS — Definition, Pathophysiology & Management
ARDS primer covering definition, epidemiology, pathophysiology, diagnosis, lung-protective ventilation, supportive management, and recovery after critical...
ARDSnet — Lower Tidal Volumes (NEJM 2000)
Landmark ARDSnet trial summary covering lower tidal volume ventilation for acute lung injury and ARDS, including mortality and ventilator-free day outcomes.
Arterial Blood Gas (ABG) Interpretation
Step-by-step ABG analysis covering oxygenation, ventilation, acid-base status, and clinical implications for SICU patients.
Brain Death Determination
Educational overview of brain death clinical criteria, prerequisites, examination, apnea testing, and ancillary testing. Based on AAN guidelines. Pending...
Brain Death Determination — Lecture
Determination of Brain Death A Little History... • Advanced cardiopulmonary support created the awareness of neurologic death • 1959 - Mollaret and Goulon...
Cardiac Arrest — Initial Steps
Initial steps in sudden cardiac arrest: early recognition, chest compressions before code team arrival, and adherence to ACLS guidelines.
Cardiac Arrhythmias in the ICU
Classification, risk factors, and management principles for tachyarrhythmias and bradyarrhythmias in the surgical ICU, including heart block types and...
Cardiovascular Physiology — Systems Overview
Core cardiovascular physiology: stroke volume, preload, afterload, cardiac output, and the Frank-Starling relationship as it applies to critically ill surgical...
Acute Cervical Spinal Cord Injury — Diagnosis & Management
Patients with acute cervical spinal cord injury present complex clinical challenges. These injuries may result in motor and sensory deficits and also in...
Clinical Responsibilities — Daily ICU Review
Daily clinical review checklist for ICU residents: medications, radiologic studies, microbiology cultures, and care coordination with primary teams.
Driving Pressure & Transpulmonary Pressure
Review of driving pressure and transpulmonary pressure during mechanical ventilation, including strain, stress, plateau pressure, PEEP, and lung-protective...
Elderly Rib Fracture Pathway
Pathway for elderly patients with rib fractures covering functional pain assessment, multimodal pain management, and mobilization protocol.
Encephalopathies in the Surgical ICU
Overview of encephalopathies in surgical ICU patients: etiology, clinical presentation, and the two overarching treatment goals of supportive care and targeted...
Fluid Resuscitation & Hemodynamics
Fluid responsiveness, static versus dynamic assessment tools, and a practical approach to tailoring resuscitation by shock physiology.
Heart Failure in the Surgical ICU
Acute heart failure in the SICU: classification (reduced vs. preserved EF, left vs. right vs. biventricular), and treatment strategies for left and right heart...
Arrhythmias in the ICU — Comprehensive Review
Comprehensive review of tachyarrhythmias and bradyarrhythmias in ICU patients, including risk factors, consequences, and management considerations.
ICU Delirium — Recognition, Prevention, and Management
Delirium in the ICU: types (hypoactive, hyperactive, mixed), diagnosis using CAM-ICU and RASS, ABCDEF bundle, consequences, and treatment principles.
Inotropes & Vasopressors in Shock
Practical vasopressor and inotrope comparison for shock, including adrenergic effects, dose ranges, clinical use, and shock classification.
Mechanical Ventilation
Indications for intubation, ventilator modes (AC/IMV/PSV), Highland Hospital ventilator protocol, SAT/SBT criteria, and weaning pathway.
Neuro Assessments & Glasgow Coma Scale (GCS)
Glasgow Coma Scale (GCS) description, component scoring, and application in trauma and surgical critical care.
Nutrition in the Critically Ill Surgical Patient
Orientation Overview — SICU Rotation
Overview of SICU rotation structure, team approach, open ICU model, and resident expectations.
Patient–Ventilator Asynchrony
Review of patient-ventilator asynchrony, including clinical implications, diaphragmatic dysfunction, dyspnea, monitoring methods, and ventilator-setting...
Respiratory Mechanics — Detailed Review
Detailed review of respiratory mechanics monitoring during mechanical ventilation, including pressure, flow, volume, compliance, resistance, and...
Secondary Survey & Injury Assessment
Head-to-toe secondary survey for trauma patients: AMPLE history, systematic physical examination to identify all injuries after primary survey stabilization.
Severe Traumatic Brain Injury (TBI)
Guideline-supported educational overview of severe TBI management including initial stabilization, ICP management, and neuroprotective care.
Severe TBI Management — Lecture Notes
Severe TBI Management Mechanisms of TBI • Focal = contact injury ocausing laceration, contusion, intracranial hemorrhage • Diffuse = acceleration/deceleration...
Shock Overview
Shock definition, categories (hypovolemic, distributive, cardiogenic), resuscitation principles, and signs of adequate volume status.
SICU Daily Rounds — Expectations & Presentation Format
Daily workflow and expectations for ICU residents during SICU rotation, including rounding format, progress note expectations, and family connect notes.
Spinal Cord Injury
Spinal cord injury overview including secondary injury prevention, MAP goals, ASIA classification, neurogenic vs. spinal shock, autonomic dysreflexia, and SICU...
ACS TQIP Spine Injury Guidelines
ACS TQIP spine injury guidance covering initial evaluation, spinal motion restriction, imaging, classification, spinal cord injury care, neurogenic shock, and...
Surviving Sepsis Campaign 2026 Guidelines
Surviving Sepsis Campaign 2026 — 113 recommendations across screening, infection control, hemodynamics, respiratory support, adjunctive therapies, and recovery.
ACS TQIP Severe TBI Guidelines
ACS TQIP traumatic brain injury guidance covering GCS assessment, triage and transport, treatment goals, ICP management, operative considerations, nutrition,...
Trauma Activation & Initial Assessment
Trauma activation criteria, trauma bay readiness, ABCDE primary survey, and damage control resuscitation framework. Based on ATLS principles and ACS TQIP...
TRICC Trial — Transfusion Requirements in Critical Care
Landmark TRICC trial summary comparing restrictive and liberal red-cell transfusion strategies in critically ill patients.
Vasopressors
Overview of vasopressor use in distributive shock, distributive shock pathophysiology, and common pressor agents used in the SICU.
Mechanical Ventilation — Basics
Mechanical Ventilation Basics Normal Respiratory v Mechanical Ventilation What’s different? Negative pressure v Positive Pressure Respiratory Terminology •...
Ventilator Weaning — Practical Guide (Akella 2022)
Practical ventilator-weaning review covering weaning classification, causes of weaning failure, predictors, spontaneous-breathing trials, and liberation...
Weaning Patients from the Ventilator
Review of ventilator liberation readiness, spontaneous-breathing trials, extubation factors, and evidence-based strategies to reduce duration of mechanical...
Volume Assessment & Endpoints of Resuscitation
Determination of intravascular volume status and endpoints of resuscitation: limitations of CVP, role of lactate, ScvO2, and IVC ultrasound in guiding...
Calculators and Tools
Interactive bedside tools and quick references.
Anion Gap
Calculate anion gap to evaluate metabolic acidosis.
Corrected Sodium (Hyperglycemia)
Adjust measured serum sodium for effect of hyperglycemia.
Creatinine Clearance (Cockcroft-Gault)
Estimate creatinine clearance for drug dosing and renal function assessment.
Glasgow Coma Scale (GCS)
Assess level of consciousness after brain injury using eye, verbal, and motor responses.
Ideal Body Weight (IBW)
Calculate ideal body weight for ventilator tidal volume dosing.
Mean Arterial Pressure (MAP)
Calculate mean arterial pressure from systolic and diastolic blood pressure.
PaO₂/FiO₂ Ratio (P/F Ratio)
Assess oxygenation severity and classify ARDS.
Shock Index
Rapid bedside indicator of hemodynamic instability.
Tidal Volume by Predicted Body Weight
Calculate lung-protective tidal volume target for ventilated patients.
Templates
Structured formats for notes, family updates, handoffs, and ICU documentation.
Daily Rounds Presentation
Systems-based presentation format for SICU rounds. Based on SurgCritCare. org expected presentation format.
Event Note
Documentation for acute clinical events in the ICU (respiratory failure, hypotension, unplanned extubation, code, etc.).
Family Connect / Update Note
Family connect notes are written twice weekly (by Tuesday and Friday) per SurgCritCare. org orientation. They document family communication and are not...
ICU Progress Note (Systems-Based)
Daily progress note format for SICU patients. Systems-based format as outlined in SurgCritCare. org orientation materials.
Signout / Handoff Note
Structured handoff communication for SICU patients during shift transitions.
Trauma History & Physical
Initial trauma H&P for trauma bay and emergency department evaluation.
Sources
Source documents, citations, and references.
Orientation
Responsibilities, rounding expectations, handoffs, and escalation habits for the surgical ICU rotation.
Trauma
Trauma activation structure, primary and secondary survey flow, injury patterns, and early disposition thinking.
SICU
Systems-based critical care assessment for surgical patients, including lines, drains, nutrition, prophylaxis, and disposition.
Neurocritical Care
Neurologic exam structure, traumatic brain injury priorities, spinal cord concerns, and brain-death workflow awareness.
Respiratory / Vent
Ventilator basics, oxygenation, pulmonary mechanics, spontaneous breathing trials, and weaning readiness.
Shock & Hemodynamics
Shock categories, vasopressor selection, perfusion markers, and bedside reassessment.
Cardiovascular
Hemodynamic goals, rhythm concerns, cardiac medications, and perioperative cardiovascular issues.
Analgesia & Sedation
Pain control, sedation goals, opioid conversion caution, delirium prevention, and ventilator comfort.
Alcohol Withdrawal
Recognition, monitoring, escalation, and ICU-level treatment considerations for alcohol withdrawal.
Calculators
SurgCritCare bedside calculators for common ICU and trauma calculations, with related Highland tools linked separately.
SICU Curriculum
PGY-1 and PGY-2 SICU rotation competencies mapped to SurgCritCare references and tools.
Templates
ICU progress notes, trauma H&P structure, family update notes, and signout scaffolds.
References
Source documents, SurgCritCare. org links, published literature, and attribution details.
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