June 22, 2020

Variation in Ventilator Allocation Guidelines by US State During the Coronavirus Disease 2019 Pandemic

Category: Article Summary

Topic: Clinical Characteristics and Health Care Setting

• Piscitello et al. reviewed publicly available guidelines about ventilator allocation for all states and reported that only 26 US states provided adult guidelines and 14 states provided pediatric guidelines. Guidelines differed in their prioritization criteria, with use of the Sequential Organ Failure Assessment score in the initial rank of adult patients in 15 state guidelines (58%) and assessment of limited life expectancy from underlying conditions or comorbidities included in 6 state guidelines.  

Piscitello et al. (June 19, 2020). Variation in Ventilator Allocation Guidelines by US State During the Coronavirus Disease 2019 Pandemic. JAMA Network Open. https://doi.org/10.1001/jamanetworkopen.2020.12606