Services
Intensive care
Practical information
Service location: Erasmus Hospital (general hospital), level -1: follow route 671.5 intensive care units: Unit 1-2-3-4-5Visiting hours: 2:30 pm to 7:30 pm: maximum of 2 visitorsIs one of your relatives admitted or due to be admitted to the Intensive Care Unit of Erasmus Hospital?Intensive care reception: 02/555.33.95 (10 am–6 pm) or admissions department: 02/555.16.78.You will find other useful information about our service by clicking here.Are you a general practitioner and would you like to obtain the medical results of your patients?secmed [dot] usi [dot] erasme [at] hubruxelles [dot] be
Continuous care for the most vulnerable patients
Our department provides multidisciplinary care for patients. These include hospitalized patients or patients referred from the emergency department or the operating room who are in critical condition and require continuous close monitoring, 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. We deliver this care with respect for patients’ autonomy and wishes, without any discrimination based on their condition or beliefs.
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Conditions managed exclusively in the Intensive Care Unit of the H.U.B.
Acute neurological care: traumatic brain injuries, cerebral hemorrhages, unexplained coma, stroke, epilepsy, …Acute cardiological care: cardiac arrest and post–cardiac arrest care, arrhythmias, heart failure and circulatory support (LVAD, heart transplantation, ECMO)Thromboembolic diseases (in collaboration with the Pulmonary Embolism Response Team Erasme), pulmonary hypertensionTransplant patients (cardiac, pulmonary, hepatic, renal, pancreatic, …)ARDS (veno-venous ECMO), complex ventilator weaning in collaboration with the pulmonology departmentPulmonary fibrosisComplex thoracic surgery: postoperative follow-upLiver cirrhosis and acute liver failureAcute or chronic renal failureSickle cell diseaseOnco-hematology
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Care services offered by the Intensive Care Unit of the H.U.B.
The department brings together specialized staff (physicians, nurses, physiotherapists, …) and the specific equipment required for the monitoring and treatment of critical illnesses.Comprehensive management of patients suffering from organ failurePersonalized care pathways following an acute eventHolistic approach to care in collaboration with a dietitian, a psychologist, an occupational therapist, physiotherapists, nursing assistants, and the hospital’s medical specialistsRegular communication with patients’ familiesInnovations: post–intensive care consultation, possibility of animal-assisted contact with the unit’s dog (Yuki) under strict hygiene conditions, “Green ICU”, …
Intensive Care at H.U.B.: key figures
Number of patients treated
2.800
each year
Number of transplants
190
per year
Number of extracorporeal membrane oxygenation (ECMO) procedures
40
per year
Prof. Fabio Taccone, Head of the Intensive Care Department
Prof. Fabio Silvio Taccone is Professor of Intensive Care Medicine and Head of the Intensive Care Department at the Brussels University Hospital (H.U.B. – Erasmus Hospital). He received his medical training in Italy and specialized in internal medicine and intensive care in Belgium. He then pursued his academic and clinical career at H.U.B., where he is now internationally recognized as an expert in intensive care medicine.
His main areas of expertise include neurocritical care (traumatic brain injury, subarachnoid hemorrhage, stroke), the management of sepsis and septic shock, advanced hemodynamic support, and multimodal monitoring techniques in critical care. He is the author or co-author of more than 900 indexed scientific publications and has participated in numerous international multicenter clinical trials. He is an active member of several scientific societies, including the ESICM (European Society of Intensive Care Medicine), and regularly contributes to international guidelines and consensus statements. As department head, he combines clinical, academic, and research activities, with a strong commitment to training young intensivists and disseminating knowledge. He is also involved in organizing leading international conferences such as ISICEM (International Symposium on Intensive Care & Emergency Medicine).
Our team
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Our intensivists
Filippo AnnoniGilles BoumazaCharles Dehout Côme GarinJulie GorhamVincent LabbéRaphaël LarsenMehdi MezidiAnthony MoreauRaphaël MottaleLeda NobileZoé PletschetteChahnez TalebMichael WatchiKatarina Winant-Halenarova
Head nurses:ICU 1: Daniele ColluraICU 2: Gaetan CrohinICU 3: Laetitia GeldhofICU 4: Nathalie BaillyICU 5: Gwenaelle MercierChristian VanderwallenHead Nurse of the DepartmentYves MaetensChief PhysiotherapistFrédéric BonnierPsychologistAraxie MatossianDietitianGabrielle BonneIntensive Care ReceptionFlorence AbrassartLaura JacminDepartment dogYuki
Our scientific publications
Lien vers https://www.nejm.org/doi/full/10.1056/NEJMoa2214552
Mild Hypercapnia or Normocapnia after Out-of-Hospital Cardiac Arrest
Eastwood G, Nichol AD, Hodgson C, Parke RL, McGuinness S, Nielsen N, Bernard S, Skrifvars MB, Stub D, Taccone FS, Archer J, Kutsogiannis D, Dankiewicz J, Lilja G, Cronberg T, Kirkegaard H, Capellier G, Landoni G, Horn J, Olasveengen T, Arabi Y, Chia YW, Markota A, Hænggi M, Wise MP, Grejs AM, Christensen S, Munk-Andersen H, Granfeldt A, Andersen GØ, Qvigstad E, Flaa A, Thomas M, Sweet K, Bewley J, Bäcklund M, Tiainen M, Iten M, Levis A, Peck L, Walsham J, Deane A, Ghosh A, Annoni F, Chen Y, Knight D, Lesona E, Tlayjeh H, Svenšek F, McGuigan PJ, Cole J, Pogson D, Hilty MP, Düring JP, Bailey MJ, Paul E, Ady B, Ainscough K, Hunt A, Monahan S, Trapani T, Fahey C, Bellomo R; TAME Study Investigators. N Engl J Med. 2023 Jul 6;389(1):45-57. doi: 10.1056/NEJMoa2214552. Epub 2023 Jun 15.
Lien vers https://www.nejm.org/doi/full/10.1056/NEJMoa2115998
Treating Rhythmic and Periodic EEG Patterns in Comatose Survivors of Cardiac Arrest
Ruijter BJ, Keijzer HM, Tjepkema-Cloostermans MC, Blans MJ, Beishuizen A, Tromp SC, Scholten E, Horn J, van Rootselaar AF, Admiraal MM, van den Bergh WM, Elting JJ, Foudraine NA, Kornips FHM, van Kranen-Mastenbroek VHJM, Rouhl RPW, Thomeer EC, Moudrous W, Nijhuis FAP, Booij SJ, Hoedemaekers CWE, Doorduin J, Taccone FS, van der Palen J, van Putten MJAM, Hofmeijer J; TELSTAR Investigators. N Engl J Med. 2022 Feb 24;386(8):724-734. doi: 10.1056/NEJMoa2115998.
Lien vers https://www.nejm.org/doi/full/10.1056/NEJMoa2100591
Hypothermia versus Normothermia after Out-of-Hospital Cardiac Arrest
Dankiewicz J, Cronberg T, Lilja G, Jakobsen JC, Levin H, Ullén S, Rylander C, Wise MP, Oddo M, Cariou A, Bělohlávek J, Hovdenes J, Saxena M, Kirkegaard H, Young PJ, Pelosi P, Storm C, Taccone FS, Joannidis M, Callaway C, Eastwood GM, Morgan MPG, Nordberg P, Erlinge D, Nichol AD, Chew MS, Hollenberg J, Thomas M, Bewley J, Sweet K, Grejs AM, Christensen S, Haenggi M, Levis A, Lundin A, Düring J, Schmidbauer S, Keeble TR, Karamasis GV, Schrag C, Faessler E, Smid O, Otáhal M, Maggiorini M, Wendel Garcia PD, Jaubert P, Cole JM, Solar M, Borgquist O, Leithner C, Abed-Maillard S, Navarra L, Annborn M, Undén J, Brunetti I, Awad A, McGuigan P, Bjørkholt Olsen R, Cassina T, Vignon P, Langeland H, Lange T, Friberg H, Nielsen N; TTM2 Trial Investigators. N Engl J Med. 2021 Jun 17;384(24):2283-2294
Lien vers https://jamanetwork.com/journals/jama/fullarticle/2824930
Restrictive vs Liberal Transfusion Strategy in Patients With Acute Brain Injury: The TRAIN Randomized Clinical Trial
Taccone FS, Rynkowski CB, Møller K, Lormans P, Quintana-Díaz M, Caricato A, Cardoso Ferreira MA, Badenes R, Kurtz P, Søndergaard CB, Colpaert K, Petterson L, Quintard H, Cinotti R, Gouvêa Bogossian E, Righy C, Silva S, Roman-Pognuz E, Vandewaeter C, Lemke D, Huet O, Mahmoodpoor A, Blandino Ortiz A, van der Jagt M, Chabanne R, Videtta W, Bouzat P, Vincent JL; TRAIN Study Group. JAMA. 2024 Nov 19;332(19):1623-1633
Research in Intensive Care
Ongoing clinical studiesEsScape 996Multicenter phase III study evaluating the efficacy and safety of trimodulin versus placebo in adult hospitalized patients with community-acquired pneumonia requiring mechanical ventilation.Secondary objectives include detailed assessment of pharmacokinetic (PK) properties in a sub-study and evaluation of pharmacodynamic properties.Sponsored by Biotest AG.BONANZAInternational multicenter ICU study aiming to reduce cerebral hypoxia following severe traumatic brain injury. The study evaluates whether optimization of cerebral oxygenation management using a brain monitoring catheter, compared with standard care based solely on intracranial pressure monitoring, improves neurological outcomes at 6 months.In collaboration with Monash University (New Zealand).BTI-203Randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled phase II study assessing the efficacy and safety of recombinant human plasma gelsolin as an adjunct to standard therapy in moderate to severe acute respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS) due to pneumonia or other infections.Sponsor: BioAegis Therapeutics, Inc.CAFSRandomized controlled trial comparing three management strategies (risk control, heart rate control, and rhythm control) for de novo supraventricular arrhythmias during septic shock in adult patients. The primary endpoint is a hierarchical outcome combining mortality and duration of septic shock. Secondary endpoints include rhythm control efficacy, morbidity and mortality, and tolerance.Study conducted by AP-HP (France).EPO-TRAUMARandomized, double-blind, multicenter trial comparing erythropoietin alfa versus placebo in severely traumatized mechanically ventilated patients. The primary endpoint is mortality and severe disability at 6 months.Conducted in collaboration with Monash University (New Zealand).LATTEClinical study evaluating the impact of hypertonic sodium lactate administration in patients surviving cardiac arrest who remain unconscious.Funded by the European Society of Intensive Care Medicine (ESICM) and the Erasme Fund for Medical Research.OXYTRIPInternational, multicenter, randomized controlled study comparing two transfusion strategies in ICU patients: a “standard” strategy (target hemoglobin ≤ 9 g/dl according to international guidelines) versus a “targeted” strategy (target hemoglobin ≤ 7 g/dl to optimize oxygen debt).Initiated by the University of Ferrara (Italy).PRINCESS 2Prehospital Resuscitation Intranasal Cooling Effectiveness Survival Study. International multicenter study investigating whether early therapeutic hypothermia in out-of-hospital cardiac arrest improves survival and neurological recovery. Brain cooling is initiated on-site using intranasal cooling (RhinoChill) versus standard resuscitation with normothermia maintained for 72 hours in ICU.In collaboration with Karolinska Hospital (Stockholm, Sweden).PRO-ACTMulticenter, randomized, double-blind study evaluating probiotics versus placebo to reduce ventilator-associated pneumonia in brain-injured or stroke patients in ICU.STEPCAREInternational multicenter study on post-resuscitation care in unconscious patients after out-of-hospital cardiac arrest. The goal is to determine the optimal combination of sedation, temperature, and blood pressure management to improve survival and limit neurological sequelae.Study sponsor: Helsingborg Hospital.STRADA-CEFNational multicenter study evaluating stratified ceftriaxone dosing based on augmented renal clearance in hospitalized patients with severe community-acquired pneumonia. The aim is to assess the impact of adjusted dosing on length of stay.Initiated by UZ Leuven.TELSTAR 2Randomized, multicenter clinical trial with medico-economic evaluation of anti-epileptic drug treatment in comatose patients after cardiac arrest presenting with status epilepticus on continuous EEG. The study assesses whether anti-epileptic therapy improves recovery.Conducted by the University of Twente (Netherlands).TRECRandomized multicenter study evaluating red blood cell transfusion thresholds (liberal ≤ 9 g/dl Hb vs restrictive ≤ 7 g/dl Hb) in patients receiving ECMO. The primary endpoint is 90-day mortality.Conducted by Amsterdam UMC.VENTILORandomized, controlled, multicenter trial comparing non-invasive ventilation with high-flow nasal oxygen in post-extubation respiratory failure. The primary endpoint is 28-day mortality.Sponsor: Poitiers University Hospital (France).
Intensive Care Education at H.U.B.
Our academic department welcomes healthcare professionals in training from all medical and paramedical disciplines on a daily basis. Teaching takes place at the patient’s bedside as well as through numerous seminars and practical training sessions using simulation.
