The doctor's dilemma - by Henry Marsh is well worth a read, I would suggest.
As usual,
readers' comments to articles like the above are often just as interesting and informative. I have included three from medical professionals below:
1. Working as one of the medical SpR’s [Special Registrar] in a London hospital this article resonates although does not fully capture the crisis which is evolving. As an example, we have reached maximum capacity for the amount of oxygen that we are able to deliver (yes, that is a thing).
2. All admissions are seen and triaged by a senior consultant and the only criteria by which patients are judged as to whether or not someone is suitable for intensive care and ventilation is the absence of frailty. Age has nothing to do with it other than the fact that frailty is a common feature of the elderly.
3. Politicians are crying out for ventilators. New York’s mayor is asking for 30000 of them if I recall it right. This people think that ventilators will save the people. Ventilators without skilled healthcare providers are useless dead machines. What a clownshow!
To “fly” a patient on a ventilator, at least, 1.5 intensive care nurse (1 nurse per two patients per shift*3 shifts), 0.2 resident medical officer and 0.1 consultant intensivist/anesthesiologist is needed. That would mean the good mayor needs 45000 ICU nurses, 6000 resident medical officers and 3000 consultant intensivists/anesthesiologists.
Good luck with that Mr. Mayor.
The number of resident medical officers and consultants needs to be multiplied by three for three shift, which I missed.
that would mean 18000 resident medical officers and 9000 consultants would be needed for New York.
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