ABSTRACT
Coronavirus disease-19 has affected million of people worldwide, constituting the biggest social, economic, and health crisis since World War 2. During this pandemic, the hospitals have become hot zones for the treatment of patients. Therefore, it is important to take the appropriate protective measures and ensure the physician's health and, especially, those who work in the intensive care units and in operating rooms. In this letter, we are trying to make a discussion regarding the measures that should be considered by the healthcare workers who are facing this invisible enemy during their effort to provide their services in the surgery rooms.
Subject(s)
COVID-19/prevention & control , COVID-19/transmission , Infection Control/methods , Air Filters , COVID-19/epidemiology , Disease Transmission, Infectious/prevention & control , Humans , Intubation, Intratracheal , Medical Waste Disposal , Pandemics , Personal Protective EquipmentABSTRACT
Coronavirus disease-2019 (COVID-19) outbreak began in December 2019 in China and has spread rapidly across the world. The healthcare system of each country has been affected from this situation. Undoubtedly, during this period several ethical issues have been raised. In this commentary, we aimed to make a discussion regarding the ethical issues that could be raised in the treatment of patients in the intensive care units during the COVID-19 pandemic. The objective of this article is to contribute to the wide current discussion regarding the appropriate measures that should be taken to protect the health and ensure the safety of the staff that comes in close contact with patients who are suspected or confirmed of having COVID-19. How to cite this article: Karampelias V, Spanidis Y, Roussakou E. Ethical Issues in Intensive Care Units during the COVID-19 Pandemic. Indian J Crit Care Med 2020;24(9):855-856.