Abstract:

The high mortality rate and morbidity in critically ill patients have prompted an intense research activity where clinical observations and questions are addressed in experimental research and then help improve bedside practice. The research module of bedside-bench-bedside is the so-called translational approach. There are excellent examples of translational research including the human-to-animal-to-human approach to address ventilator-induced lung injury, the animal-to-human approach to examine the mechanisms and testing therapies of sepsis, and the human-to-animal approach for sepsis-induced immune alteration. The translational research could be fulfilled in the bedside management of critically ill patients but also the hurdles to translate such achievements into clinical practice. Due to the inherent limitations existing in clinical and preclinical studies, the complexity of clinical situations should be taken into account when the preclinical discoveries are being translated into the development of novel therapeutic strategies for critically ill patients. There is a long way to go but a bench-to-bedside transition is the right direction and will facilitate a long term robust strategy that is economically feasible and clinically effective to manage critically ill patients.

Key words: Sepsis, Ventilator-induced lung injury, Translational research