Why is it necessary to have a policy on ventilator allocation in a severe pandemic?
One critical factor when planning for a severe (1918-like) pandemic is the shortage of life-sustaining equipment such as mechanical ventilators. Although New York State continues to purchase additional ventilators for our Medical Emergency Response Cache, and plans are in place to request additional ventilators from the Strategic National Stockpile, a severe pandemic would quickly outstrip the available supply. A severe pandemic would also result in a shortage of staff trained to operate ventilators, forcing hospitals to decide which patients will and will not be provided ventilator support. There must be clear guidance in place ahead of time to ensure that these decisions ultimately will be made in a way that is fair and equitable and will provide the greatest benefit to as many patients as possible.
