About the Author
In hospitals, universities, research centers, and medical organizations across the globe, Dr. E. Wesley Ely, MD, MPH, is a world-renowned critical care doctor and trusted leader in the field of ICU care. With more than 25 years of experience in intensive care medicine, over 500 peer-reviewed publications, as well as more than 50 published book chapters and editorials, Dr. Ely’s scientific findings have contributed to numerous globally adopted protocols that improve the way healthcare is delivered for critically ill patients.
After earning his MD degree at Tulane University School of Medicine in conjunction with a Master of Public Health (MPH) at Tulane University School of Public Health and Tropical Medicine, Dr. Ely has been awarded membership to a number of organizations for leading medical professionals, including the American Society of Clinical Investigation, Association of American Physicians, American Geriatrics Society, European Society of Intensive Care Medicine, and many more.
Currently, Dr. Ely is the Grant W. Liddle professor of medicine at Vanderbilt University School of Medicine with subspecialty training in Pulmonary and Critical Care Medicine, as well as the founder and co-director of the Center for Critical Illness, Brain Dysfunction, and Survivorship (CIBS Center) at Vanderbilt University Medical Center. His team at the CIBS Center has worked with tens of thousands of patients to answer vital questions about ICU-acquired brain disease and other components of ICU survivorship. While his focus was initially on aging and geriatric critical illness, his team has defined the importance of delirium and acquired dementia as major public health problems even among young ICU survivors.
Every Deep-Drawn Breath: A Critical Care Doctor on Healing, Recovery, and Transforming Medicine in the ICU won the 73rd annual Christopher Award for Literature and in 2025 was placed on the AMA’s list of “8 Great Books. It offers a rich blend of science, history, moving patient stories, and personal reflection as Dr Ely invites readers into the world of ICU care. He offers guidance and hope for ICU patients, their families, and the future of medicine, while also issuing a wake-up call for healthcare professionals—himself included—to turn their gaze from the latest life-saving machinery to the person in the patient. It is estimated that 40 to 60 million Americans will be admitted to the ICU over the next 10 years, and the average American can expect to have at least one ICU stay in their lifetime, underscoring the importance of Dr. Ely’s message. Accessible yet eloquent, refreshingly honest and reflective, Every Deep-Drawn Breath is an invaluable resource to anyone whose life will be touched by critical illness. Committed to the improvement of ICU care, Dr. Ely has partnered with a nonprofit fund to donate all his proceeds from this book to advance critical research, promote the widespread adoption of evidence-based practices, and help ICU survivors and their families.
As a leader and highly trusted resource in critical care medicine, Dr. Ely has been invited to speak at hundreds of universities, non-profits, hospitals, and conferences across the globe. His keynotes and lectures shed light on his journey building a career in critical care, the research he has conducted on improving the care and outcomes of critically ill patients with ICU-acquired brain disease, and the overall importance of advancing ICU treatment within the medical field. Dr. Ely is also consistently sought after for interviews and features by major media outlets, including Atlantic Monthly, NBC, The Washington Post, Science, USA Today, NPR, CNN, PBS, Wall Street Journal, CBS, Reuters, and more.
Raves and Reviews
A timely book, its message an urgent one. . . . Perhaps one lesson to draw from the pandemic, with help from books like this one, is that the ICU experience can be changed for the better.”
—Washington Post
With its vivid observations and heartfelt tone, Every Deep-Drawn Breath is a joy to read. Ely’s passion for his patients leaps from the pages, inspiring readers to channel Ely’s humility and love for life to brighten the future of medicine, and mankind.”
—The Federalist
[A] powerful new book. . . . provides true insight into what can be accomplished with humility, perseverance, dedication and above all else, love.”
—Intima: A Journal of Narrative Medicine
Every Deep-Drawn Breath is an enthralling journey through the ongoing evolution of critical care. In this richly illustrated book, with stories of people who teetered on the edge of death and survived to find their lives forever changed, Dr. Ely, a thought leader in his field, reveals hard lessons he’s learned, innovations he’s led, and his compelling, bright vision for the future of medicine.”
—Ira Byock, MD, active emeritus professor, Dartmouth Geisel School of Medicine, author of Dying Well and The Best Care Possible, founder and chief medical officer of the Institute for Human Caring
A remarkable book from a legendary physician. Dr. Ely revolutionized critical care and now, through stories that are intimate, honest, and brave, he reveals the failings and the great promise of the field. This could not be more timely—in the wake of a pandemic that challenged the humanity of our profession, Ely shows us the road forward. A must read.”
—Daniela Lamas, MD, author of You Can Stop Humming Now: A Doctor’s Stories of Life, Death, and in Between
Thanks to Dr. Wes Ely and his colleagues, help is on the way for ICU patients, as well as the healthcare professionals who care for them. Every Deep-Drawn Breath is a must read for anyone who may someday be impacted by an ICU, which means all of us.”
—Jessica Zitter, MD, MPH, author of Extreme Measures: Finding a Better Path to the End of Life
In this fascinating and eye-opening book, Wes Ely makes the radical argument that we should be helping critically ill patients stay awake and engaged, not routinely sedating them into unconsciousness. Combining dogged research, intense reflection, and page-turning stories, Dr. Ely reminds us that we have to treat the patient, not just the disease.”
—Danielle Ofri, MD, PhD, Clinical Professor of Medicine, NYU School of Medicine, and author of When We Do Harm: A Doctor Confronts Medical Error
Every Deep Drawn Breath deserves a wide and deep readership. . . . it summons physicians to seek relief for their patients’ endemic suffering, but not by standard yet short-sighted procedures that ignore post-ICU torment. On the contrary, doctors must humbly recognize their own limits, indeed their inevitable mistakes. Precisely and ever so admirably, this is what Wes Ely has done.
—Ralph C. Wood, Emeritus Professor of Theology and Literature, Baylor University
In the Media
“Long covid patients are desperate for treatments. These trials may help.”
“A stay in the ICU can be terrifying. It might not get better after release.“
“Keeping loved ones from visiting our coronavirus patients is making them sicker.”
“Treating coronavirus is brutal. But our hunt for better medicine keeps us going.”
“Doctors fear the coronavirus. Is that affecting their medical decisions?”
“Doctors already know how to get COVID-19 patients off ventilators faster”
“Antipsychotic Drugs Don’t Ease ICU Delirium”
“How To Prevent Brain-Sapping Delirium In The ICU”
“When ICU Delirium Leads To Symptoms of Dementia After Discharge”
