Society of Critical Care Medicine Congress Digital 2026

The 2026 SCCM Congress is a comprehensive multidisciplinary medical conference dedicated to the latest advancements in adult and pediatric critical care medicine. The digital program encompasses a vast array of scientific presentations, presidential addresses, and honorary lectures covering clinical science, basic and translational research, and data science. Key themes of the congress include the integration of artificial intelligence and machine learning in the ICU, advanced resuscitation techniques, personalized medicine for sepsis and acute respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS), evolving guidelines for critical care pharmacology, and solutions for addressing global workforce shortages and intensive care unit (ICU) management in resource-limited settings.
Day release: April 24, 2026
Learning Objectives
Based on the scientific program, participants attending this congress should be able to:

Apply the latest surviving sepsis campaign guidelines, including the 2026 Pediatric Surviving Sepsis Campaign Guidelines, and adapt the Phoenix Criteria for sepsis classification across different resource settings.

Evaluate and manage complex shock states utilizing advanced point-of-care ultrasound (POCUS), biomarker identification, and precise hemodynamic optimization.

Implement advanced extracorporeal therapies (such as ECMO and CRRT) while safely managing mechanical ventilation, systemic anticoagulation, and associated ethical considerations.

Analyze the role of generative AI, predictive models, and interoperable electronic health records (EHR) in optimizing critical care triage, nutrition, and telemedicine delivery.

Address specialized critical care scenarios including obstetric emergencies in the post-Roe era, severe pediatric viral infections, catastrophic microvascular dysfunctions, and targeted therapies for acute brain injuries.

Navigate critical care pharmacology, including antimicrobial stewardship for multi-drug resistant organisms, precision pharmacotherapy for status epilepticus, and toxicology management for various drug overdoses.

Target Audience

The program is designed for a multidisciplinary intensive care team, including physicians (intensivists), critical care nurses, clinical pharmacists, advanced practice providers (APPs), and respiratory therapists. The sessions also address the needs of medical educators, healthcare administrators managing ICU capacity, and clinical researchers focused on translational and epidemiologic data.
Best for Intensivists, Pediatric Critical Care Specialists, Pulmonologists, Neurologists, Nephrologists, Pharmacologists, Obstetricians, Surgeons, and Emergency Medicine Physicians.

Topics
The congress features an extensive list of detailed clinical and operational topics, which include:
Sepsis and Shock Management

Multidisciplinary management of mixed shock and identifying the mixed shock patient.

New and revised Surviving Sepsis Campaign recommendations and their applicability to low- and middle-income countries (LMICs).

The Phoenix Criteria for sepsis classification and targeted DPP3 as a new frontier in management.

Polymyxin B hemoadsorption in endotoxic septic shock and the use of immunomodulators.

European Society of Intensive Care Medicine (ESICM) and SCCM Joint Consensus on Refractory Septic Shock.

Respiratory Care and ARDS

Balancing lung- and diaphragm-protective ventilation and PEEP/recruitment maneuvers in ARDS.

Precision medicine in ARDS, including bedside identification of subphenotypes (PHIND study).

Tyrosine Kinase Inhibitors and interleukin/cytokine modulation for ARDS therapy.

Metabolic crosstalk in acute lung injury between alveolar macrophages and epithelium.

Ceragenin-Coated endotracheal tubes for reducing ventilator-associated pneumonia (CEASE VAP).

Pediatric and Neonatal Critical Care

Implementation of the 2026 Pediatric Surviving Sepsis Campaign Guidelines.

Advancing outcomes in pediatric cardiac extracorporeal therapies (ACTION HF and PPETS).

Multi-omic approach to identifying Pediatric ARDS (PARDS) endotypes.

Neuroprognostication and the role of quantitative EEG after pediatric cardiac arrest.

WE-ROCK: Insights into renal outcomes in critically ill kids.

Ventilating PICU patients with severe bronchopulmonary dysplasia and severe asthma.

Neurocritical Care

Advances in biomarkers for acute brain injury and decoding TBI blood biomarkers.

Precision pharmacotherapy for refractory status epilepticus and the use of THC for status epilepticus.

Microvascular breakdowns in sepsis and ARDS, and innovations to restore cerebral perfusion.

The pharmacology of osmotherapy and mechanisms of cerebral edema.

NeuroShield as a next-generation neuroprotective agent for ischemic stroke and TBI.

Pharmacology and Toxicology

Toxicology review for critical care, including managing serotonin syndrome, magic mushrooms, and drug-related kidney diseases.

Pharmacokinetics, pharmacodynamics, and pharmacogenomics in drug overdoses and extracorporeal therapy.

Updates in neuromuscular blocker guidelines and navigating QTc-prolonging medications.

Delabeling medication “allergies” and handling drug reactions like SJS/TEN in the ICU.

Alternative treatments like Ketofol for optimizing sedative outcomes.

Extracorporeal Therapies and Resuscitation

Evidence and efficacy of ECPR for patients with cardiac arrest.

Beyond day 7: Evaluating prolonged ventilation as a contraindication for ECMO.

ECMO considerations in traumatic brain injuries, pregnancy, and oncologic diseases.

Smart CRRT strategies to predict and personalize renal support.

Prehospital whole blood use and novel hemostatic agents in damage control resuscitation.

Artificial Intelligence, Data, and Technology

Potential uses and pitfalls of Generative AI in clinical research writing and ethical AI healthcare applications.

Machine learning applications in transfusion medicine and personalized nutrition in the ICU.

Redefining telecritical care trends and evolving care models in 2026.

Making the EHR smarter by reducing clicks and enhancing usability.

Obstetrics, Surgery, and Trauma

Obstetric hemorrhage and obstetric sepsis in the post-Roe era.

Use of direct oral anticoagulants and prothrombin complex concentrates in high-risk obstetric populations.

Principles of dramatic wound care in trauma patients and necrotizing soft tissue infections.

Postoperative hypermetabolic syndromes and countering ageism in surgical candidacy.

Ethics, Palliative Care, and Workforce Dynamics

SCCM clinical practice guidelines on adult end-of-life care in the ICU.

The impact of anti-DEI legislation on education, health equity, and the global workforce migration.

Strategies for ethical resource allocation in resource-limited settings and overcoming systemic inequities.

Combating workplace violence (Code Calm) and recognizing pediatric medical traumatic stress.