Ethical issues in Intensive Care Units during the SARS-CoV-2 pandemic

The global community was confronted with the biggest crisis in decades with the emergence of the Sars-Cov-2 respiratory syndrome which challenged the sustainability of health systems and the emergence, recognition and management of ethical issues. The review of the international literature showed that the ethical issues that emerged during the pandemic in the ICU, were: 1) The conflict stemming from the ethical stance of health professionals in providing care to Sars-CoV-2 patients with the fear of their possible infection and transmission of the virus to their family members 2) Screening patients according to their priority for treatment 3) Selecting patients for respiratory support 4) Selecting patients for home care 5) Which patients should have hospital care 6) The inadequate provision of health services in the "new beds of ICU" 7) The deterioration of patients with co-morbidities 8) The compromised rights of patients and family members regarding decision-making 9) The separation of severely ill patients from their loved ones 10) The lack of opportunity for the family to say goodbye to their deceased member and 11) The possible spread of viral infection in areas with few cases where there were ICU beds. The ethical issues that emerged during the pandemic in NCDs should form the basis for a new health policy strategy with interventions and actions to respond effectively to new challenges that will arise.

Keywords: Sars-CoV-2, ICU, ethical issues, dilemmas