ICU doctors work together with radiologists, microbiologists, surgeons, cardiologists, physicians and pathologists. In normal times, ICU treatment saves many lives, but it is not a quick fix – and it may not be right for all patients. At their sickest, ICU patients will be sedated and their bodily functions performed for them; as they recover, they must repossess those faculties. Doctors and family must then work together to balance risks against benefits and act in the patient’s best interests. The magnitude of the coronavirus pandemic will involve making decisions that, in normal times, doctors aren’t confronted with: decisions about which patients to treat in ICU when not all can be.

Source: The Guardian March 23, 2020 13:45 UTC