• Immunological and metabolic or neuromuscular changes in critical disease (including diagnostic testing, and development and testing of innovative therapeutic measures)
• Daily problems in intensive care medicine that are of great clinical importance
• Acute nephrology and cardiorenal medicine
• Development of biomarkers

The group applies translational research to address important everyday problems in acute or intensive care. We are particularly interested in studying how the patient’s response («host response») affects critical disease.

The translational section of our group (research group on «Immunosuppression in Critical Illness», Head Dr. T. Spinetti) concentrates on important elements of the reaction of the immune system to critical disease. We are particularly interested in the metabolic and immunological interfaces, as well as the interface between innate and acquired immunity. Our preliminary studies have shown that many critically ill patients pass through a phase of marked immunosuppression («injury-associated immunosuppression»). If this immune suppressive phase is protracted, this is associated with an impaired immune response, more secondary infections and a poor clinical outcome.

Our clinical studies have already shown that innovative personalised therapies can be used to treat this «immune organ failure» caused by critical disease – for example, by employing immune stimulation or extracorporeal therapies. We are convinced that the future of intensive care medicine lies in these individualized therapies and that these can lead to considerable improvements in the clinical course of these patients.

Next to translational research, our clinically orientated section of the group is led by Dr. P. Zürcher and concentrates on critical-illness induced neuromuscular changes. This includes acquired difficulties in swallowing (dysphagia) – and in particular also research on the «Bernese Dysphagia Algorithm», which was recently proposed. Now that we have shown the clinical relevance and investigated risk factors for acquired dysphagia, we are concentrating on developing interventional therapeutic approaches to improve the clinical outcomes of affected critically ill patients.

• Innosuisse project to develop an innovative therapy for extracorporeal dialysis and immunomodulation (Innovation Project – Life Sciences 43113-1)
• «RECREATE», Project for intraoperative immunomodulation using cytokine adsorption in heart surgery, Collaboration Department of Cardiovascular Surgery)
• «PHINEST», Pharyngeal electrical stimulation for the treatment of dysphagia after extubation: multicenter randomized clinical study
• «HOT-ICU», Handling oxygenation targets in the ICU, multinational randomized clinical study
• «IMPACT/HOPE», Innosuisse innovation project to develop non-invasive devices for measuring blood pressure (Collaboration)
• «NAChO», Prospective observational study with extensive omics diagnostic testing for nutrients in critical disease

• Current gaps in sepsis immunology: new opportunities for translational research. Rubio I, Osuchowski MF, Shankar-Hari M, Skirecki T, Winkler MS, Lachmann G, La Rosée P, Monneret G, Venet F, Bauer M, Brunkhorst FM, Kox M, Cavaillon JM, Uhle F, Weigand MA, Flohé SB, Wiersinga WJ, Martin-Fernandez M, Almansa R, Martin-Loeches I, Torres A, Giamarellos-Bourboulis EJ, Girardis M, Cossarizza A, Netea MG, van der Poll T, Scherag A, Meisel C, Schefold JC, Bermejo-Martín JF. Lancet Infect Dis. 2019 Dec; 19(12): e422-e436.
• Granulocyte-macrophage colony-stimulating factor to reverse sepsis-associated immunosuppression: a double-blind, randomized, placebo-controlled multicenter trial. Meisel C*, Schefold JC*, Pschowski R, Baumann T, Hetzger K, Gregor J, Weber-Carstens S, Hasper D, Keh D, Zuckermann H, Reinke P, Volk HD (* equal contribution). Am J Respir Crit Care Med. 2009 Oct 1;180(7):640-8. 
• Pantoprazole in patients at risk for gastrointestinal bleeding in the ICU. Krag M, Marker S, Perner A, Wetterslev J, Wise MP, Schefold JC, Keus F, Guttormsen AB, Bendel S, Borthwick M, Lange T, Rasmussen BS, Siegemund M, Bundgaard H, Elkmann T, Jensen JV, Nielsen RD, Liboriussen L, Bestle MH, Elkjær JM, Palmqvist DF, Bäcklund M, Laake JH, Bådstøløkken PM, Grönlund J, Breum O, Walli A, Winding R, Iversen S, Jarnvig IL, White JO, Brand B, Madsen MB, Quist L, Thornberg KJ, Møller A, Wiis J, Granholm A, Anthon CT, Meyhoff TS, Hjortrup PB, Aagaard SR, Andreasen JB, Sørensen CA, Haure P, Hauge J, Hollinger A, Scheuzger J, Tuchscherer D, Vuilliomenet T, Takala J, Jakob SM, Vang ML, Pælestik KB, Andersen KLD, van der Horst ICC, Dieperink W, Fjølner J, Kjer CKW, Sølling C, Sølling CG, Karttunen J, Morgan MPG, Sjøbø B, Engstrøm J, Agerholm-Larsen B, Møller MH, SUP-ICU trial group. N Engl J Med. 2018 Dec 6;379(23):2199-2208.                
• Changes in end-of-life practices in European intensive care units from 1999 to 2016. Sprung CL, Ricou B, Hartog CS, Maia P, Mentzelopoulos SD, Weiss M, Levin PD, Galarza L, de la Guardia V, Schefold JC, Baras M, Joynt GM, Bülow HH, Nakos G, Cerny V, Marsch S, Girbes AR, Ingels C, Miskolci O, Ledoux D, Mullick S, Bocci MG, Gjedsted J, Estébanez B, Nates JL, Lesieur O, Sreedharan R, Giannini AM, Fuciños LC, Danbury CM, Michalsen A, Soliman IW, Estella A, Avidan A. JAMA. 2019 Oct 2;322(17):1-12.
• Hypertonic saline for fluid resuscitation in ICU patients post cardiac surgery (HERACLES) – a double-blind randomized controlled clinical trial. Pfortmueller CA, Kindler M, Schenk N, Messmer AS, Hess B, Jakob L, Wenger S, Waskowski J, Zuercher P, Stoehr F, Jakob SM, Englberger L, Schefold JC. Intensive Care Med. 2020 Sep;46(9):1683-1695.
• Dysphagia in mechanically ventilated ICU patients (DYnAMICS): a prospective observational trial. Schefold JC, Berger D, Zürcher P, Lensch M, Perren A, Jakob SM, Parviainen I, Takala J. Crit Care Med. 2017 Dec;45(12):2061-2069.
• Risk factors for dysphagia in ICU patients after invasive mechanical ventilation. Zuercher P, Schenk NV, Moret C, Berger D, Abegglen R, Schefold JC. Chest. 2020 Nov;158(5):1983-1991.
• Dysphagia in the intensive care unit: epidemiology, mechanisms, and clinical management. Zuercher P, Moret CS, Dziewas R, Schefold JC. Crit Care. 2019 Mar 28;23(1):103.
• Lower or higher oxygenation targets for acute hypoxemic respiratory failure. Schjørring OL, Klitgaard  T, Perner A , Wetterslev  J, Lange T , Siegemund  M,  Bäcklund  M, Keus  F, Laake  JH, Morgan  M, Thormar  KM, Rosborg  SA, Bisgaard J,  Erntgaard  AES, Lynnerup  ASH, Pedersen  RL, Crescioli  E, Gielstrup  TC, Behzadi  MT, Poulsen LM,  Estrup S , Laigaard  JP , Andersen  C, Mortensen  CB, Brand BA,  White  J, Jarnvig  IL, Møller  MH, Quist L,  Bestle  MH, Schønemann-Lund  M, Kamper  MK, Hindborg  M, Hollinger  A, Gebhard  CE, Zellweger N, Meyhoff  CS, Hjort  M, Bech  LK, Grøfte  T, Bundgaard H, Østergaard LHM, Thyø  MA, Hildebrandt  T,  Uslu  B, Sølling  CG, Møller-Nielsen  N, Brøchner  AC, Borup  M, Okkonen  M, Dieperink  W, Pedersen UG, Andreasen  AS, Buus  L, Aslam  TN, Winding  RR, Schefold  JC, Thorup SB,  Iversen SA, Engstrøm J, Kjær  MBN,  Rasmussen  BS, HOT-ICU Investigators. N Engl J Med. 2021 Jan 20.
• Renal function adjusted D-dimer levels in critically ill patients with suspected thromboembolism. Schefold JC, Gerber JL, Angehrn MC, Müller M, Messmer AS, Leichtle AB, Fiedler GM, Exadaktylos AK, Pfortmueller CA. Crit Care Med. 2020 Apr;48(4):e270-e276.

• Department of Nephrology and Hypertension (Prof. D. Uehlinger, MD, Prof. U. Huynh-Do, MD, Prof. D. Fuster, MD)
• Department of Anesthesiology and Pain Medicine (M. Lüdi, MD)
• Department of Infectious Diseases (C. Hirzel, MD)
• Department of Cardiovascular Surgery (Prof. L. Engelberger, MD, F. Gisler, MD)
• Departments of Neurology and Neurosurgery (Prof. W. Z'Graggen, MD, Head of Neurointensive Care)

• Innovative Clinical Trials Group, University Medical Center Göttingen (Prof. S. von Haehling, MD)
• Charité, Universitätsmedizin Berlin (Prof. W. Doehner, MD)
• Medical University of Graz (Prof. K. Amrein, MD)
• Collaboration for Research in Intensive Care (CRIC), Copenhagen (Prof. M. H. Moller, MD, Prof. B. Rasmussen, MD,Prof. A. Perner, MD)
• European Group on Immunology of Sepsis, EGIS (Founding Member)
• Jena University Hospital, Center for Clinical Studies (Prof. F. Brunkhorst, MD)

• Publications of Joerg C. Schefold on PubMed
• Joerg C. Schefold on ORCID
• Joerg C. Schefold Publication list