1. Infection control in the intensive care unit: expert consensus statements for SARS-CoV-2 using a Delphi method
- Author
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Nasa, P, Azoulay, E, Chakrabarti, A, Divatia, JV, Jain, R, Rodrigues, C, Rosenthal, VD, Alhazzani, W, Arabi, YM, Bakker, J, Bassetti, M, De Waele, J, Dimopoulos, G, Du, B, Einav, S, Evans, L, Finfer, S, Guerin, C, Hammond, NE, Jaber, S, Kleinpell, RM, Koh, Y, Kollef, M, Levy, MM, Machado, FR, Mancebo, J, Martin-Loeches, I, Mer, M, Niederman, MS, Pelosi, P, Perner, A, Peter, JV, Phua, J, Piquilloud, L, Pletz, MW, Rhodes, A, Schultz, MJ, Singer, M, Timsit, JF, Venkatesh, B, Vincent, JL, Welte, T, and Myatra, S
- Abstract
During the current COVID-19 pandemic, health-care workers and uninfected patients in intensive care units (ICUs) are at risk of being infected with SARS-CoV-2 as a result of transmission from infected patients and health-care workers. In the absence of high-quality evidence on the transmission of SARS-CoV-2, clinical practice of infection control and prevention in ICUs varies widely. Using a Delphi process, international experts in intensive care, infectious diseases, and infection control developed consensus statements on infection control for SARS-CoV-2 in an ICU. Consensus was achieved for 31 (94%) of 33 statements, from which 25 clinical practice statements were issued. These statements include guidance on ICU design and engineering, health-care worker safety, visiting policy, personal protective equipment, patients and procedures, disinfection, and sterilisation. Consensus was not reached on optimal return to work criteria for health-care workers who were infected with SARS-CoV-2 or the acceptable disinfection strategy for heat-sensitive instruments used for airway management of patients with SARS-CoV-2 infection. Well designed studies are needed to assess the effects of these practice statements and address the remaining uncertainties.
- Published
- 2022