Triage Decisions in the Context of COVID-19: Old Burden, New Challenge—The Structured Approach for Intensive Care Unit Triage (SAINT) Protocol

Introduction The medical treatment facilities (MTF) represent the equivalent of the healthcare system in the home countries, but they face the limitations of an outpost at the end of the supply chain. The capabilities are limited, and the necessary effort to extend the treatment capacity is tremendous. Algorithms based on scientific evidence or at least profound medical expertise are a tool to facilitate the decision-making process in triage under difficult circumstances. The aim of this article is to present a protocol that regards the specific entities military MTF abroad have to deal with in context of the COVID-19 pandemic. Material and Methods To prepare our own health system within the Resolute Support mission, an interdisciplinary team of consultants and nurses located at the multinational role 2E, Camp Marmal, Mazar-e-Sharif, Afghanistan, individually reviewed medical databases and the current literature concerning triage on intensive care units. The identified literature was evaluated by all authors. In the next step, an adapted flow chart for triage on intensive care unit in MTF abroad was set up on the basis of existing triage tools found in the reviewed literature. Results The authors created the “Structured Approach for Intensive Care Unit Triage (SAINT)” protocol. It is an approach that fits to the specific entities (e.g., limited medical resources in the whole system, limited intensive care unit capabilities for long-term stay or organ replacement therapy, etc.) that determine the framework of the special military health system abroad. Conclusions The presented triage protocol may be a tool for medical personnel to facilitate the difficult task of triaging. It provides guidance along patient-centered criteria like individual medical, ethical, and legal issues while taking into account the available resources. Future studies are needed to investigate the effectiveness of the SAINT protocol.