[Which octogenarians benefit from the intensive care unit? A proposal for triage].

Intensive care unit (ICU) treatment can be associated with substantial suffering of patients, and those over eighty years old carry a much worse prognosis than younger ICU patients. Nevertheless, in the Netherlands we admit many people over the age of eighty to the ICU. Is this good practice? Whilst some elderly people may benefit, others don't.

Putting ICU triage guidelines into practice: A simulation study using observations and interviews.

Background: The COVID-19 pandemic has prompted many countries to formulate guidelines on how to deal with a worst-case scenario in which the number of patients needing intensive care unit (ICU) care exceeds the number of available beds. This study aims to explore the experiences of triage teams when triaging fictitious patients with the Dutch triage guidelines. It provides an overview of the factors that influence decision-making when performing ICU triage with triage guidelines.

[Benefits of time-limited trials in intensive-care medicine].

A time-limited trial (TLT) is an option to deal with scarce ICU-beds. A TLT is an agreement made at an early stage of ICU-admission to initiate treatment for a certain period of time to gain a realistic understanding of the patient's chances of a meaningful recovery. If the patient improves, treatment will be continued.

[Tracheotomy in the intensive care unit is a tailor-made decision].

Tracheotomy is one of the oldest interventions in medical sciences. It is a procedure that is frequently used in patients who have been admitted to the intensive care unit. Over the last twenty years, the use of the dilation technique has increased in frequency.

Outcomes Associated With the Nationwide Introduction of Rapid Response Systems in The Netherlands.

Objective: To describe the effect of implementation of a rapid response system on the composite endpoint of cardiopulmonary arrest, unplanned ICU admission, or death.

Design: Pragmatic prospective Dutch multicenter before-after trial, Cost and Outcomes analysis of Medical Emergency Teams trial.

Setting: Twelve hospitals participated, each including two surgical and two nonsurgical wards between April 2009 and November 2011.