Intensivist’s Role in Epidemic and Pandemic

Epidemics and pandemics have occurred in the recent past and will surely occur in the future. To manage patients’ suffering and to have a favorable outcome during these epidemics and pandemics, it is essential to have preparedness and use appropriate medical faculty management. The COVID-19 pandemic has shown us the importance of ICU (intensive care unit) beds and the intensivist’s role in the management of critically ill patients during these calamities. Each epidemic and pandemic in the past has shown some advancement, which can improve critically ill patients’ outcomes, the polio epidemic forced medical specialists to discover and use invasive ventilation patient isolation, and the SARS pandemic has shown us the advantages of using ECMO in the management of critically ill patients with improved outcomes. The Ebola epidemic dictated the importance of the strict following of infectious control and prevention protocols, and the H1N1 influenza pandemic has exposed the importance of ICU bed capacity management. The COVID-19 pandemic apart from showing the importance of intensivist also gave us a good lesson about the management of the “three Ss” the staff, stuff, and space during epidemics and pandemics as well as in natural calamities, with the active participation of intensivists in hospital management and administrative personnel.