Management of critically ill patients with COVID-19 in ICU: statement from front-line intensive care experts in

You Shang1, Chun Pan2, Xianghong Yang3

  • 1Department of Critical Care Medicine, Union Hospital, Tongji Medical College, Huazhong University of Science and Technology, Wuhan, China.

Insights

Expert consensus provides guidance for managing critically ill patients with coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19). Recommendations cover personnel protection, organ support, and therapies, emphasizing dynamic monitoring and supportive care due to lack of targeted treatments.

Area of Science:

  • Intensive Care Medicine
  • Infectious Diseases
  • Critical Care

Background:

  • The COVID-19 pandemic has overwhelmed critical care resources globally.
  • Urgent need for expert guidance on managing severe COVID-19 cases.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To develop evidence-based and expert-opinion recommendations for the critical care of COVID-19 patients.
  • To provide trustworthy guidance for front-line medical personnel.

Main Methods:

  • A Delphi-like method involving 5 rounds of expert seminars and discussions.
  • 16 front-line critical care experts in China contributed based on their expertise.
  • Statements were developed using available clinical evidence and expert consensus.

Main Results:

  • A comprehensive document with 46 statements on COVID-19 critical care was generated.
  • Recommendations included personnel protection, etiological treatment, organ support, and patient transport.
  • 5 strong recommendations (Grade 1), 21 weak recommendations (Grade 2), and 20 expert opinions were established with strong agreement.

Conclusions:

  • No targeted therapies are currently available for COVID-19.
  • Dynamic monitoring and supportive treatment are crucial for organ function recovery.
  • Expert consensus provides essential guidance for critical care management during the pandemic.
Abstract

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