Coronavirus victims in Italy aged 80 and above and those in poor health conditions could be denied access to intensive care should pressure on beds increase, UK media Telegraph has reported.
A document prepared by a crisis management unit in Turin, Italy, has proposed and waiting for the approval from a technical-scientific committee before sending it to hospitals
According to the Telegraph, the unit has come up with a guideline which will determine the patients who will receive treatment in intensive care units and those who will be locked out due to insufficient facilities.
In Italy, the ICU capacity is running short as the coronavirus continues to spread.
"Should it become impossible to provide all patients with intensive care services, it will be necessary to apply criteria for access to intensive treatment, which depends on the limited resources available." reads part of the document produced by the Civil Protection Department of the Piedmont region.
Therefore, doctors fear that some patients who will be denied intensive care will be left to die.
"The criteria for access to intensive therapy in cases of emergency must include age of less than 80 or a score on the Charlson comorbidity Index [which indicates how many other medical conditions the patient has] of less than 5." The statement adds.
It furthers says "The growth of the current epidemic makes it likely that a point of imbalance between the clinical needs of patients with COVID-19 and the effective availability of intensive resources will be reached.”
"The criteria set out guidelines if the situation becomes of such an exceptional nature as to make the therapeutic choices on the individual case dependent on the availability of resources, forcing [hospitals] to focus on those cases in which the cost/benefit ratio is more favorable for clinical treatment." it adds.
Luigi Icardi, a Councilor for Health in Piedmont, said once the document is approved, the access to intensive care will be based on certain factors like the potential survival of the patient.
"I never wanted to see such a moment,” he said.
Italy has a total of 5,090 intensive care beds, which for the moment exceeds the number of patients that are in need of them, therefore It is working to create new bed capacity in private clinics, nursing homes and even in tents.
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