HANDLING COVID-19 PANDEMIC WITH LIMITED HEALTH AND CRITICAL CARE RESOURCE BY JUDICIAL USE AND FAIR ALLOCATION

Covid-19 has been officially declared as pandemic by the World health organization. At present Covid – 19 has spread to more than 185 countries affecting millions of people. Since it is a novel disease a lot is unknown about the natural history of the disease. Considering its impact and clinical manifestation, we are certain that our critical care resources will soon get exhausted. Such types of viral pandemics place us at a sustained demand of healthcare infrastructure and essential community resources. Such demands lead to the development of situation where we need to judiciously allocate our resources, equipment and manpower for their effective utilization and better outcome. It's the responsibility of critical care physician to rise to the occasion and make a long lasting impact while managing covid-19 pandemic.

It Is Always Early with Point-of-Care Ultrasound

A 56-year-old male was admitted to the emergency department for acute pulmonary edema and septic shock, yet no clear source of infection was noted upon physical examination. Due to his unstable condition, bedside ultrasound was performed. A heterogeneous mass in the liver was noted; hence, a tentative diagnosis of liver abscess was made. The abscess was confirmed by abdominal magnetic resonance imaging. Drainage of the abscess was attempted and guided by early ultrasound. This case highlights that point-of-care ultrasound, when performed by an ultrasound-capable critical care physician, can significantly decrease the time to diagnosis for septic patients.