La gestión de soportes vitales escasos en contextos de pandemia. Reflexiones acerca de la aplicación de triajes en el marco del COVID-19

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Abstract

Resumen En el marco de una pandemia a escala mundial como la que representa el COVID-19 uno de los mayores dilemas bioéticos que se plantean es el de la gestión de determinados medios asistenciales escasos, tales como los respiradores (ventilación mecánica asistida), pues del acceso a los mismos dependen las posibilidades de supervivencia de numerosos pacientes en estado crítico. El presente trabajo trata de determinar los criterios para la gestión de dichos soportes vitales en un contexto de escasez extrema de los mismos para hacer frente a las necesidades de la totalidad de los pacientes que los requieren, analizando la literatura comparada sobre el particular, así como diferentes informes institucionales y de organismos en la esfera de la bioética.

Translated abstract

Abstract In the context of a worldwide pandemic such as COVID-19, one of the greatest bioethical dilemmas that arise is the management of certain scarce medical devices, such as ventilators (mechanical ventilation), since the survival of many critically ill patients depends on the access to these ventilators. The present paper tries to determine the criteria applicable for the management of these medical devices in a context of extreme scarcity to face the needs of all the patients who require them. To this end, the comparative literature on the subject as well as different institutional and academic reports in the field of bioethics are analysed.

Translated abstract

Resum En el marc d'una pandèmia a escala mundial com la que representa la COVID-19 un dels majors dilemes bioètics que es plantegen és el de la gestió de determinats mitjans assistencials escassos, com ara els respiradors (ventilació mecànica assistida), ja que de l'accés als mateixos depenen les possibilitats de supervivència de nombrosos pacients en estat crític. El present treball pretén determinar els criteris per a la gestió d'aquests suports vitals en un context d'escassetat extrema dels mateixos per fer front a les necessitats de la totalitat dels pacients que els requereixen, analitzant la literatura comparada sobre el particular, així com diferents informes institucionals i d'organismes en l'esfera de la bioètica.

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Most cited references 5

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Development of a triage protocol for critical care during an influenza pandemic.

M. Christian, L Hawryluck, R. S. Wax … (2006)

The recent outbreaks of avian influenza (H5N1) have placed a renewed emphasis on preparing for an influenza pandemic in humans. Of particular concern in this planning is the allocation of resources, such as ventilators and antiviral medications, which will likely become scarce during a pandemic. We applied a collaborative process using best evidence, expert panels, stakeholder consultations and ethical principles to develop a triage protocol for prioritizing access to critical care resources, including mechanical ventilation, during a pandemic. The triage protocol uses the Sequential Organ Failure Assessment score and has 4 main components: inclusion criteria, exclusion criteria, minimum qualifications for survival and a prioritization tool. This protocol is intended to provide guidance for making triage decisions during the initial days to weeks of an influenza pandemic if the critical care system becomes overwhelmed. Although we designed this protocol for use during an influenza pandemic, the triage protocol would apply to patients both with and without influenza, since all patients must share a single pool of critical care resources.

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Allocation of ventilators in a public health disaster.

Tia Powell, Guthrie S. Birkhead, K Christ (2008)

In a public health emergency, many more patients could require mechanical ventilators than can be accommodated. To plan for such a crisis, the New York State Department of Health and the New York State Task Force on Life and the Law convened a workgroup to develop ethical and clinical guidelines for ventilator triage. The workgroup crafted an ethical framework including the following components: duty to care, duty to steward resources, duty to plan, distributive justice, and transparency. Incorporating the ethical framework, the clinical guidelines propose both withholding and withdrawing ventilators from patients with the highest probability of mortality to benefit patients with the highest likelihood of survival. Triage scores derive from the sepsis-related organ failure assessment system, which assigns points based on function in 6 basic medical domains. Triage may not be implemented by a facility without clear permission from public health authorities. New York State released the draft guidelines for public comment, allowing for revision to reflect both community values and medical innovation. This ventilator triage system represents a radical shift from ordinary standards of care, and may serve as a model for allocating other scarce resources in disasters.