Triage every day soon? – Intensive Care Units Now Threatened With Heat Collapse

Corona has pushed home care to its limits – not just in terms of infrastructure, but also from a staff perspective. Many hospitals were in a state of emergency and it will take a long time to process everything. Many surgeries had to be postponed due to a lack of free intensive care beds.

Intensive care doctors are ringing the bell
Vienna, in particular, had to repeatedly admit patients from other federal states. But this scenario could soon become everyday life. Top local doctors sound the alarm. Dr Walter Hasibeder, President of the Austrian Society of Anesthesiology, Resuscitation and Intensive Care Medicine, says: “Despite the best equipment, planning and preparation, we will continue to face the problem in the future that we are reaching the limits of what is achievable.” or get beyond intensive care resources.”

Climate change is responsible for this, with significantly more heat waves, extreme weather conditions, natural disasters such as floods or forest fires and new epidemics.

Older people and babies are especially affected
Hasibeder: “There is much to suggest that situations in which a very large number of people need intensive medical care at the same time will become more frequent.”

Triage will probably soon become part of everyday life
Hasibeder paints a bleak picture: “When resources are scarce, we must ensure fair access to care.” It is impossible to ignore the criteria for triage.

It is not only the recovery potential that needs to be considered, but also the question of whether patients are able and willing to bear the burden of this care.