Intended Use

A self-study and bedside-reference platform built around the way real ICU reasoning works. The content is organized into modules — question banks, hemodynamics training, EKG drills, ventilator and vasopressor practice, ABG and labs interpretation, and a library of standard clinical calculators.

It is designed to be used in the same situations textbooks and reference cards are used: while studying, while preparing for a shift, while orienting to a new unit, or while looking something up between cases. Nothing more.

• Not a medical device under FDA, EU MDR, or any other regulatory framework
• Not a clinical decision-support system
• Not a diagnostic or screening tool
• Not a treatment-recommendation engine
• Not connected to electronic health records, monitors, pumps, or hospital systems
• Not a substitute for institutional protocols, provider orders, or pharmacist review
• Not intended for use during active resuscitation or any time-critical clinical event
• Not certified for continuing education credit

Critical care clinicians at all experience levels — bedside nurses, advanced practice providers, fellows, residents, and students rotating through critical care. The content assumes a baseline of clinical training and is not appropriate for laypeople or patients seeking medical advice.

Users must be at least 17 years of age. See the Terms of Use for the full eligibility statement.

The calculators included in the app implement standard, well-established clinical formulas (e.g., mean arterial pressure, cardiac index, systemic vascular resistance, PaO₂/FiO₂ ratio, Devine ideal body weight, free water deficit, anion gap, Fick cardiac output). They are educational implementations of widely-published equations, not branded dosing tools.

The app does not provide drug dosage recommendations, infusion rate calculations tied to a specific patient, or any output that would constitute individualized medical advice. Users must independently verify any value against current institutional protocols, manufacturer prescribing information, and pharmacist review before applying it to patient care.

Clinical content is reviewed against current published practice guidelines and standard critical-care references at each release cycle. The "last reviewed" date is displayed in the app under Settings → About.

Medical knowledge evolves. We do not warrant that content is complete, accurate, current, or error-free. If you find a clinically incorrect question, rationale, or reference, please email support@criticalcarevault.com with the item identifier — see Support.

The app does not collect, transmit, or store patient data. Account-related data is limited to your educational progress and is described in full in the Privacy Policy. Do not enter patient-identifying or protected health information into any free-text area of the app.

This app is not intended to serve as the sole or primary resource during patient resuscitation or any time-critical clinical event. In any emergency, follow established institutional protocols, direct clinical resources, and the guidance of qualified personnel on scene.

The clinical content in Critical Care Vault is grounded in authoritative textbooks, society guidelines, and primary literature. The full bibliography is accessible inside the app under Settings → References & Citations; representative sources by domain are listed below.

• Marino, P. L. (2014). The ICU Book (4th ed.). Lippincott Williams & Wilkins.
• Vincent, J. L., et al. (Eds.). (2024). Textbook of Critical Care (8th ed.). Elsevier.
• Bersten, A. D., & Handy, J. M. (Eds.). (2025). Oh's Intensive Care Manual (9th ed.). Elsevier.
• Society of Critical Care Medicine. SCCM Clinical Resources & Guidelines.

• AACN Procedure Manual for High Acuity, Progressive, and Critical Care (7th ed., 2017).
• Evans, L., et al. (2021). Surviving Sepsis Campaign: International Guidelines for Management of Sepsis and Septic Shock 2021. Crit Care Med, 49(11), 1063–1143.

• Goldberger, A. L., Goldberger, Z. D., & Shvilkin, A. (2024). Goldberger's Clinical Electrocardiography: A Simplified Approach (10th ed.). Elsevier.
• Wagner, G. S., et al. (2009). AHA/ACCF/HRS Recommendations for the Standardization and Interpretation of the Electrocardiogram. Circulation, 119(10), e235–e240.

• Tobin, M. J. (2012). Principles and Practice of Mechanical Ventilation (3rd ed.). McGraw-Hill.
• The ARDS Definition Task Force. (2012). Acute Respiratory Distress Syndrome: The Berlin Definition. JAMA, 307(23), 2526–2533.
• Matthay, M. A., et al. (2024). A New Global Definition of Acute Respiratory Distress Syndrome. Am J Respir Crit Care Med, 209(1), 37–47.
• NHLBI ARDSNet Mechanical Ventilation Protocol.

• Brunton, L. L., et al. (Eds.). (2023). Goodman & Gilman's: The Pharmacological Basis of Therapeutics (14th ed.). McGraw-Hill.
• ASHP. Trissel's Handbook on Injectable Drugs.
• Lexicomp Online® (Wolters Kluwer / UpToDate).

• Ideal Body Weight (Devine). Devine, B. J. (1974). Gentamicin therapy. Drug Intelligence and Clinical Pharmacy, 8(11), 650–655.
• Free Water Deficit. Adrogué, H. J., & Madias, N. E. (2000). Hypernatremia. NEJM, 342(20), 1493–1499.
• Anion Gap. Kraut, J. A., & Madias, N. E. (2007). Serum anion gap: its uses and limitations. CJASN, 2(1), 162–174.
• PaO₂/FiO₂ ratio. Berlin Definition (Ranieri et al., 2012, JAMA); Global ARDS Definition (Matthay et al., 2024, Am J Respir Crit Care Med).
• MAP / CI / SVR / PAPI / Fick CO. Marino's The ICU Book, Chapter 6.

Medical knowledge evolves. We do not warrant that content is complete, accurate, current, or error-free. If you find a clinically incorrect rationale or reference, please email support@criticalcarevault.com with the item identifier so we can review and correct it.

Questions about scope, content, or institutional use: support@criticalcarevault.com