Intensive care

• Service location: Erasmus Hospital (general hospital), level -1: follow route 671.
• 5 intensive care units: Unit 1-2-3-4-5
• Visiting hours: 2:30 pm to 7:30 pm: maximum of 2 visitors

Is 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

• 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 hypertension
• Transplant patients (cardiac, pulmonary, hepatic, renal, pancreatic, …)
• ARDS (veno-venous ECMO), complex ventilator weaning in collaboration with the pulmonology department
• Pulmonary fibrosis
• Complex thoracic surgery: postoperative follow-up
• Liver cirrhosis and acute liver failure
• Acute or chronic renal failure
• Sickle cell disease
• Onco-hematology

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 failure
• Personalized care pathways following an acute event
• Holistic approach to care in collaboration with a dietitian, a psychologist, an occupational therapist, physiotherapists, nursing assistants, and the hospital’s medical specialists
• Regular communication with patients’ families
• Innovations: post–intensive care consultation, possibility of animal-assisted contact with the unit’s dog (Yuki) under strict hygiene conditions, “Green ICU”, …

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).

Ongoing clinical studies

EsScape 996
Multicenter 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.

BONANZA
International 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-203
Randomized, 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.

CAFS
Randomized 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-TRAUMA
Randomized, 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).

LATTE
Clinical 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.

OXYTRIP
International, 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 2
Prehospital 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-ACT
Multicenter, randomized, double-blind study evaluating probiotics versus placebo to reduce ventilator-associated pneumonia in brain-injured or stroke patients in ICU.

STEPCARE
International 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-CEF
National 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 2
Randomized, 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).

TREC
Randomized 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.

VENTILO
Randomized, 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).