Global Current Practices of Ventilatory Support Management in COVID-19 Patients: An International Survey
Open Access
- 1 January 2020
- journal article
- research article
- Published by Taylor & Francis Ltd in Journal of Multidisciplinary Healthcare
- Vol. 13, 1635-1648
- https://doi.org/10.2147/JMDH.S279031
Abstract
Background: As the global outbreak of COVID-19 continues to ravage the world, it is important to understand how frontline clinicians manage ventilatory support and the various limiting factors. Methods: An online survey composed of 32 questions was developed and validated by an international expert panel. Results: Overall, 502 respondents from 40 countries across six continents completed the survey. The mean number (+/- SD) of ICU beds was 64 +/- 84. The most popular initial diagnostic tools used for treatment initiation were arterial blood gas (48%) and clinical presentation (37.5%), while the national COVID-19 guidelines were the most used (61.2%). High flow nasal cannula (HFNC) (53.8%), non-invasive ventilation (NIV) (47%), and invasive mechanical ventilation (IMV) (92%) were mostly used for mild, moderate, and severe COVID-19 cases, respectively. However, only 38.8%, 56.6% and 82.9% of the respondents had standard protocols for HFNC, NIV, and IMV, respectively. The most frequently used modes of IMV and NIV were volume control (VC) (36.1%) and continuous positive airway pressure/pressure support (CPAP/PS) (40.6%). About 54% of the respondents did not adhere to the recommended, regular ventilator check interval. The majority of the respondents (85.7%) used proning with IMV, with 48.4% using it for 12-16 hours, and 46.2% had tried awake proning in combination with HFNC or NIV. Increased staff workload (45.02%), lack of trained staff (44.22%) and shortage of personal protective equipment (PPE) (42.63%) were the main barriers to COVID-19 management. Conclusion: Our results show that general clinical practices involving ventilatory support were highly heterogeneous, with limited use of standard protocols and most frontline clinicians depending on isolated and varied management guidelines. We found increased staff workload, lack of trained staff and shortage of PPE to be the main limiting factors affecting global COVID-19 ventilatory support management.This publication has 52 references indexed in Scilit:
- Critical Care in Resource-Restricted SettingsJAMA, 2016
- Efficacy of prone position in acute respiratory distress syndrome patients: A pathophysiology-based reviewWorld Journal of Critical Care Medicine, 2016
- Potential Strategies to Prevent Ventilator-associated EventsAmerican Journal of Respiratory and Critical Care Medicine, 2015
- Exhaled Air Dispersion During Noninvasive Ventilation via Helmets and a Total FacemaskSocial psychiatry. Sozialpsychiatrie. Psychiatrie sociale, 2015
- The variability of critical care bed numbers in EuropeIntensive Care Medicine, 2012
- Mechanical Ventilation with Lung Protective Strategies: What Works?Critical Care Clinics, 2011
- Are there benefits or harm from pressure targeting during lung-protective ventilation?2010
- Airway pressure release ventilationAnnals of Thoracic Medicine, 2007
- Higher versus Lower Positive End-Expiratory Pressures in Patients with the Acute Respiratory Distress SyndromeThe New England Journal of Medicine, 2004
- Guidelines for standards of care for patients with acute respiratory failure on mechanical ventilatory supportCritical Care Medicine, 1991