Save the ICU and save lives during the COVID-19 pandemic
Japan ECMOnet for COVID-19, Ryuzo Abe, Naofumi Bunya, Tomoyuki Endo, Yuji Fujino, Kensuke Fujita, Kenji Fujizuka, Yoshihiro Hagiwara, Jun Hamaguchi, Yoshitaka Hara, Eiji Hashiba, Satoru Hashimoto, Noriyuki Hattori, Kota Hoshino, Shinichi Ijuin, Takanari Ikeyama, Shingo Ichiba, Wataru Iwanaga, Yoshiaki Iwashita, Masafumi Kanamoto, Hitoshi Kaneko, Kaneyuki Kawamae, Toru Kotani, Yasuaki Koyama, Keibun Liu, Tomohiko Masuno, Naoto Morimura, Tomoyuki Nakamura, Masaki Nakane, Michitaka Nasu, Osamu Nishida, Masaji Nishimura, Kanae Ochiai, Takayuki Ogura, Shinichiro Ohshimo, K. Oyama, Junichi Sasaki, Ryutaro Seo, Takeshi Shimazu, Nobuaki Shime, Keiki Shimizu, Hiroyuki Suzuki, Shuhei Takauji, Shinhiro Takeda, Ichiro Takeuchi, Mumon Takita, Hayato Taniguchi, Nobuaki Shime
Abstract
Appropriate critical care delivery for Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) is a cornerstone in saving lives. Earlier publications worldwide demonstrate higher mortality among patients receiving mechanical ventilation in intensive care units during "surges" in the number of cases. In contrast, lower mortality outcomes are evident in Japan using CRISIS [CRoss Icu Searchable Information System] data by the national registry, Japan ECMOnet for COVID-19. This highlights the need for scientific analysis of the medical factors contributing to high survival rates and social factors associated with low case "surges," to gain insight into protective strategies for possible coming waves in the COVID-19 pandemic.