Critical Care Pandemic Preparation: Considerations and Lessons Learned from COVID-19

Mervyn Mer; Diptesh Aryal; Nathan D Nielsen; Ary Serpa Neto; Bhavna Seth; Madiha Raees; Martin W Dünser; Kristina E Rudd

doi:10.1016/j.ccc.2022.07.002

Critical Care Pandemic Preparation: Considerations and Lessons Learned from COVID-19

Crit Care Clin. 2022 Oct;38(4):761-774. doi: 10.1016/j.ccc.2022.07.002. Epub 2022 Jul 11.

Authors

Mervyn Mer¹, Diptesh Aryal², Nathan D Nielsen³, Ary Serpa Neto⁴, Bhavna Seth⁵, Madiha Raees⁶, Martin W Dünser⁷, Kristina E Rudd⁸

Affiliations

¹ Department of Medicine, Divisions of Critical Care and Pulmonology, Charlotte Maxeke Johannesburg Academic Hospital and Faculty of Health Sciences, University of the Witwatersrand, 7 York Road, Parktown 2193, Johannesburg, South Africa. Electronic address: mervyn.mer@wits.ac.za.
² Nepal Intensive Care Research Foundation, Basbari Road, Kathmandu 44606, Nepal.
³ Division of Pulmonary, Critical Care, and Sleep Medicine, Department of Medicine, University of New Mexico School of Medicine, Albuquerque, NM 87131, USA; Section of Transfusion Medicine and Therapeutic Pathology, Department of Pathology, University of New Mexico School of Medicine, Albuquerque, NM 87131, USA.
⁴ Australian and New Zealand Intensive Care Research Centre (ANZIC-RC), School of Public Health and Preventive Medicine, Monash University, Level 3 553 St Kilda Rd, Melbourne, Victoria 3004, Australia; Department of Critical Care, University of Melbourne, Parkville, Victoria 3010, Australia; Department of Intensive Care, Austin Health, 145 Studley Road, Heidelberg, Victoria 3084, Australia; Department of Critical Care Medicine, Hospital Israelita Albert Einstein, Avenue Albert Einstein 627/701, Sao Paulo, Brazil.
⁵ Division of Pulmonary and Critical Care Medicine, Department of Medicine, Johns Hopkins School of Medicine, 1830 East Monument Street, 5th Floor, Baltimore, MD 21205, USA.
⁶ Division of Critical Care Medicine, Department of Anesthesia and Critical Care Medicine, Children's Hospital of Philadelphia, 3401 Civic Center Blvd, Wood Building 6107, Philadelphia, PA 19104, USA.
⁷ Department of Anesthesiology and Intensive Care Medicine, Kepler University Hospital and Johannes Kepler University Linz, Krankenhausstrasse 9, 4020 Linz, Austria.
⁸ Clinical Research, Investigation, and Systems Modelling of Acute Illness (CRISMA) Center, Department of Critical Care Medicine, University of Pittsburgh, 3520 Fifth Avenue, Suite 100, Pittsburgh, PA 15206, USA.

Abstract

Pandemics, increases in disease incidence that affect multiple regions of the world, present huge challenges to health care systems and in particular to policymakers, public health authorities, clinicians, and all health care workers (HCWs). The recent COVID-19 pandemic has resulted in millions of severely ill patients, many of whom who have required hospital and intensive care unit (ICU) admission. The discipline of critical care is a vital and integral component of pandemic preparedness. Safe and effective critical care has the potential to improve outcomes, motivate individuals to seek timely medical attention, and attenuate the devastating sequelae of a severe pandemic. To achieve this, suitable critical care planning and preparation are essential.

Keywords: COVID-19; Critical care; Global health; Pandemics.

Publication types

Review

MeSH terms

COVID-19*
Critical Care / methods
Health Personnel
Humans
Intensive Care Units
Pandemics*

Grants and funding

K23 GM141463/GM/NIGMS NIH HHS/United States