August 2014: Critical Care in Transition

Coordinated by Dr David Crippen, Professor in the Departments of Critical Care Medicine and Neurological Surgery, University of Pittsburgh Medical Center, the series promises to provide a comprehensive review of the literature detailing the past and present controversies and current practices surrounding the diagnosis and utilization of the diagnosis of death with specific reference to the topic of organ donation. The invited editorial commentaries and the letters to the editor, which address issues related to neurally adjusted ventilatory assist, bear attention as does Turnbull, Parker and Needham's editorial "Supporting small steps toward big innovations: the importance of rigorous pilot studies in critical care"; it is difficult to know when pilot studies rise to the importance of accepted manuscripts, and this commentary provides important insight into the evaluation and selection process.