Among critically ill adults undergoing endotracheal intubation, acute cardiovascular dysfunction (hemodynamic instability or cardiac arrest) occurred at similar rates with etomidate and ketamine but was more frequent with propofol than with non-propofol sedation. Exploratory meta-analysis showed no statistically significant difference between etomidate and ketamine (odds ratio 1.05) or between etomidate and propofol (odds ratio 0.91). However, etomidate was associated with lower survival to hospital discharge compared to ketamine (odds ratio 0.76). Limited data for other outcomes such as acute kidney injury, delirium, or length of stay revealed no clear differences among the sedative agents.
Philip Goff's book 'Galileo's Error' introduces general readers to the debate on consciousness, covering dualism, physicalism, and panpsychism. Goff argues that materialistic explanations fail to explain consciousness and that consciousness may be fundamental, advocating for panpsychism—the view that fundamental particles have a mental aspect. The book also examines Galileo's role in shaping science by excluding subjective qualities like taste and smell from quantitative inquiry, an approach Goff suggests needs rethinking to make progress on consciousness. Goff emphasizes the importance of philosophical reflection alongside empirical work.
Integrated Information Theory (IIT) links brain structure to consciousness but fails to address the hard problem of why there is subjective experience. This paper supplements IIT with an intrinsic element—the ontologically fundamental quantum wave function—as the basis for conscious experience. The brain acts as a filter or tuner that shapes a more fundamental source of consciousness. The proposed Filter Integrated Information Theory (FIIT) retains IIT's formalism while grounding its structure in a deeper ontological reality. The approach may improve understanding of empirical research on psychedelics, meditation, and anomalous mind-matter interactions.