Increasing ICU capacity to accommodate higher demand during the COVID-19 pandemic.

ABSTRACT:

Objectives

To describe the short term ability of Australian intensive care units (ICUs) to increase capacity in response to heightened demand caused by the COVID-19 pandemic.

Design

Survey of ICU directors or delegated senior clinicians (disseminated 30 August 2021), supplemented by Australian and New Zealand Intensive Care Society (ANZICS) registry data.

Setting

All 194 public and private Australian ICUs.

Main outcome measures

Numbers of currently available and potentially available ICU beds in case of a surge; available levels of ICU-relevant equipment and staff.

Results

All 194 ICUs responded to the survey. The total number of currently open staffed ICU beds was 2183. This was 195 fewer (8.2%) than in 2020; the decline was greater for rural/regional (

SUBMITTER: Litton E 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC8661872 | biostudies-literature | 2021 Dec

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature