Care of Critically Ill Patients with COVID-19

COVID-19 patients with acute respiratory distress syndrome should be treated with the same interventions that other ARDS patients receive.

Reassuringly, we now know that a minority of patients with COVID-19 become critically ill. Although initial case series indicated high rates of intubation for patients admitted to the hospital (NEJM JW Gen Med May 15 2020 and N Engl J Med 2020; 382:2372) and shockingly high mortality in those with acute respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS; NEJM JW Infect Dis Jun 2020 and N Engl J Med 2020; 382:2012), subsequent reports reflect that mortality is similar in COVID-19 patients and those with other causes of ARDS (Am J Respir Crit Care Med 2020; 201:1560).

The mainstays of therapy for critically ill COVID-19 patients are those that we use for other patients with critical illness and ARDS. These include low tidal volume ventilation, conservative f…

Author

Patricia Kritek, MD

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Editorial BoardsATS Scholar

Patricia Kritek, MD

Disclosures

Editorial BoardsATS Scholar

Care of Critically Ill Patients with COVID-19

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