Novel Coronavirus 2019 (2019-nCoV) Infection: Part I - Preparedness and Management in the Pediatric Intensive Care Unit in Resource-limited Settings

Abstract

First reported in China, the 2019 novel coronavirus has been spreading across the globe. Till 26 March, 2020, 416,686 cases have been diagnosed and 18,589 have died the world over. The coronavirus disease mainly starts with a respiratory illness and about 5-16% require intensive care management for acute respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS) and multi-organ dysfunction. Children account for about 1-2% of the total cases, and 6% of these fall under severe or critical category requiring pediatric intensive care unit (PICU) care. Diagnosis involves a combination of clinical and epidemiological features with laboratory confirmation. Preparedness strategies for managing this pandemic are the need of the hour, and involve setting up cohort ICUs with isolation rooms. Re-allocation of resources in managing this crisis involves careful planning, halting elective surgeries and training of healthcare workers. Strict adherence to infection control like personal protective equipment and disinfection is the key to contain the disease transmission. Although many therapies have been tried in various regions, there is a lack of strong evidence to recommend anti-virals or immunomodulatory drugs.