Reallocating ventilators during the coronavirus disease 2019 pandemic: Is it ethical?

• Type of Material: Article
• Authors: Quyen Chu, Louisiana State University; Ricardo Correa, University of Arizona; Tracey Henry, Emory University; Kyle A. McGregor, Thomas Jefferson University; Hanni Stoklosa, Harvard Medical School; Loren Robinson, Christus St. Michael Hospital; Sachin Jha, University of Southern California; Alagappan Annamalai, House Medicine Los Angeles; Benson S. Hsu, University of South Dakota; Rohit Gupta, Baylor College of Medicine; Desmond Upton Patton, Columbia University; Lisa A. Moreno-Walton, Louisiana State University; Christine Butts, Louisiana State University; Christy Chai, Baylor College of Medicine; SreyRam Kuy, Baylor College of Medicine
• Language: English
• Date: 2020-09-01
• Publisher: MOSBY-ELSEVIER
• Publication Version: Final Published Version
• Copyright Statement: 2020 Elsevier
• License: Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International
• Final Published Version (URL): http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.surg.2020.04.044
• Title of Journal or Parent Work: SURGERY
• Volume: 168
• Issue: 3
• Start Page: 388
• End Page: 391
• Grant/Funding Information: None
• Keywords: Surgery; Science & Technology; Life Sciences & Biomedicine; HEALTH
• Research Categories: Health Sciences, Health Care Management; Sociology, Public and Social Welfare; Health Sciences, Medicine and Surgery

Abstract

The unprecedented coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic has challenged our society to evaluate our core values and ethics. In a crisis like none other, health care facilities and physicians are now facing shortages of ventilators, beds, and even basic personal protective equipment. Many physicians are already facing a profound ethical dilemma: how to allocate these resources during shortages, with some hospitals, states, and countries even having to establish policies on which groups of patients to prioritize in providing lifesaving treatment during the COVID-19 crisis.