As serious virus cases grow, Israel is running out of life-saving ECMO machines
Health Ministry warns further rise in critical cases could force hospitals to choose which patients to connect to the heart and lung machines; problem exacerbated by uneven distribution of national stores and high number of staff needed to run them
Adir Yanko |
Published: 02.09.21 , 15:09
The Health Ministry warned Monday that the soaring number of coronavirus patients in hospitals means the country is starting to exceed the number of available ECMO (heart and lung) machines used to provide prolonged cardiac and respiratory support for patients in critical condition.
Sources in the ministry further warned that if the issue continues to escalate, they will be forced to choose which patients to connect to the life-saving machines via an ethics committee whose role is to prioritize treatment for patients who have a better chance of survival.