Year in Review 2020: Noteworthy Literature in Cardiothoracic Critical Care

Area of Science:

• Cardiothoracic Critical Care
• Infectious Diseases
• Cardiology

Background:

• The COVID-19 pandemic significantly altered healthcare delivery and research priorities in 2020.
• Critical care professionals faced unprecedented challenges, necessitating adaptive medical approaches.
• Despite adversity, 2020 yielded significant research breakthroughs in various medical fields.

Purpose of the Study:

• To review influential research published in 2020 within cardiothoracic critical care.
• To highlight advances in extracorporeal membrane oxygenation, perioperative mortality, and fluid resuscitation.
• To discuss the impact of COVID-19 on heart and lung transplantation and novel therapeutics.

Main Methods:

• Literature review of high-impact studies from 2020 in cardiothoracic critical care.
• Thematic analysis of research focusing on extracorporeal membrane oxygenation (ECMO) for cardiac arrest.
• Examination of studies on sedation, risk factors, fluid resuscitation, transplantation, and COVID-19 therapeutics.

Main Results:

• Early extracorporeal membrane oxygenation (ECMO) support showed promise for out-of-hospital cardiac arrest.
• Sedation and other factors significantly impact perioperative mortality in cardiac surgery.
• Novel fluid resuscitation strategies and transplantation advancements were reported, alongside COVID-19's effects.
• Therapeutics for SARS-CoV-2 infection were advanced, with implications for critical care.

Conclusions:

• 2020 was a landmark year for cardiothoracic critical care research, marked by significant findings despite the pandemic.
• Advances in ECMO, perioperative care, transplantation, and COVID-19 therapeutics offer new hope and strategies.
• The review underscores the resilience and innovation within the critical care community during a global health crisis.