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. 2020 Aug;35(4):431-433.
doi: 10.1017/S1049023X20000692. Epub 2020 May 19.

Critical Care Surge Capacity to Respond to the COVID-19 Pandemic in Italy: A Rapid and Affordable Solution in the Novara Hospital

Gianmaria Cammarota #  1 , Luca Ragazzoni #  2   3 , Fabio Capuzzi  1 , Simone Pulvirenti  1 , Nello De Vita  2 , Erminio Santangelo  2 , Federico Verdina  2 , Francesca Grossi  1 , Rosanna Vaschetto  1   2 , Francesco Della Corte  1   2   3
Affiliations

Critical Care Surge Capacity to Respond to the COVID-19 Pandemic in Italy: A Rapid and Affordable Solution in the Novara Hospital

Gianmaria Cammarota et al. Prehosp Disaster Med. 2020 Aug.

Abstract

The rapid insurgence and spread of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) exceeded the limit of the intensive care unit (ICU) contingency plan of the Maggiore della Carità University Hospital (Novara, Italy) generating a crisis management condition. This brief report describes how a prompt response to the sudden request of invasive mechanical ventilation (IMV) was provided by addressing the key elements of health care system surge capacity from contingency to crisis. In a short time and at a relatively low cost, a structural modification of a hospital aisle allowed to convert the general ICU into a COVID-19 unit, increasing the number of COVID-19 critical care beds by 107%.

Keywords: COVID-19; acute respiratory failure; crisis; surge capacity.

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Figures

Figure 1.
Figure 1.
Intensive Care Unit Converted to COVID-19 Unit.
See this image and copyright information in PMC

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