The critical care department is involved in clinical as well as in experimental research. The clinical research concerns: 1. Pharmacological interventions in acute coronary insufficiency; 2. Evaluation of the cerebroresuscitative and the cerebrovascular effects of mild hypothermia after cardiac arrest (Mild hypothermia induced by a helmet device : A clinical trial; Mild therapeutic hypothermia to improve neurological outcome after severe cerebral median artery infarction : European trial) 3. Management of sepsis, septic shock and multiple organ dysfunction syndrome; 4. Diagnosis and treatment of nosocomial infections; 5. Rational use of antibiotics in critically ill patients; 6. Evaluation of new ventilation modalities, analgosedation and airway management in mechanically ventilated patients with acute respiratory distress syndrome. The experimental research concerns: 1. The study on the endothelial control of the pulmonary vascular tone; the mechanisms of pulmonary arterial hypertension and the interactions between the pulmonary circulation and the right ventricle; 2. In vivo studies on neurotransmission in the rat brain - influence of metabolic and pharmacological factors; 3. Biomolecular effects of broad-spectrum antibiotics in rodents subjected to cecal ligation and puncture; 4. The effect of mild hypothermia and cerebral blood flow promotion on neurological outcome after cardiopulmonary arrest in the rat. The effect of resuscitative mild hypothermia on cerebral excitatory amino-acid and free radicals in rats. The effects of mild hypothermia and oxygen concentration on survival rate in rats after hemorrhagic shock. Part of the clinical research includes participation in multi- centre clinical trials. The experimental research is done in conjunction with other departments of the VUB (the laboratories of human physiology, pharmacology and histology) and with other universities (ULB, UG).