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RESEARCH ARTICLE

Pig in a china shop: a personal perspective of how pandemic (H1N1) 2009 affected the work of intensive care units in NSW

Richard J. Totaro
+ Author Affiliations
- Author Affiliations

A Intensive Care Service, Royal Prince Alfred Hospital

B Email: rtotaro@mail.usyd.edu.au

NSW Public Health Bulletin 21(2) 39-40 https://doi.org/10.1071/NB09033
Published: 8 April 2010

Abstract

Intensive care support of patients with severe respiratory failure has improved over recent years and with improved methods of ventilation fewer of these patients now die. However despite these improvements, a significant number of patients still die with acute respiratory failure. The outbreak of pandemic (H1N1) 2009 influenza presented NSW intensive care units with many critically ill patients with severe acute respiratory failure. Three case studies and summary data illustrate the impact of these patients on intensive care units services in Australia and New Zealand.


References


[1] The ANZIC Influenza Investigators, Webb SA, Pettila V, Seppelt I, Bellomo R, Bailey M, Cooper DJ, et al. Critical Care Services and 2009 H1N1 Influenza in Australia and New Zealand. N Engl J Med 2009; 361(20): 1925–34. doi:10.1056/NEJMoa0908481Pubmed Abstract

[2] Erickson SE, Martin GS, Davis JL, Matthay MA, Eisner MD and the NIH NHLBI ARDS Network. Recent trends in acute lung injury mortality: 1996–2005. Crit Care Med 2009; 37(5): 1574–9. doi:10.1097/CCM.0b013e31819fefdfPubmed Abstract

[3] NSW Department of Health. New medical retrieval service for critically ill patients. Available from: http://www.health.nsw.gov.au/news/2009/20090721_00.html (Cited 2009-12-23.)

[4] The Australia and New Zealand Extracorporeal Membrane Oxygenation (ANZ ECMO) Influenza Investigators. Extracorporeal Membrane Oxygenation for 2009 Influenza A (H1N1) Acute Respiratory Distress Syndrome. JAMA 2009; 302(17): 1888–95.
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