Potential Alterations in Event of a Surge in Cases
The COVID-19 pandemic presents a rapidly shifting landscape of clinical
care. Of primary concern within the United States at the time of this
writing is the relative scarcity of mechanical ventilators to support
critically ill patients. This resource scarcity could lead to a push to
perform tracheostomies, though whether this would allow for a more
expeditious ventilator weaning process is unclear. Continued close
collaboration with our Critical Care and Ethics colleagues will be
imperative to navigate this scenario should it arise. It is important to
acknowledge that conditions other than COVID-19 will still need to be
addressed during this time period and may require tracheostomy. The need
for mechanical ventilation in patients with other conditions should be
considered when developing and applying COVID-19 guidelines.