Abstract
The COVID-19 (Coronavirus disease of 2019) pandemic has led to intense conversations about ventilator allocation and reallocation during a crisis standard of care. Multiple voices in the media and multiple state guidelines mention reallocation as a possibility. Drawing upon a range of neuroscientific, phenomenological, ethical, and sociopolitical considerations, the authors argue that taking away someone's personal ventilator is a direct assault on their bodily and social integrity. They conclude that personal ventilators should not be part of reallocation pools and that triage protocols should be immediately clarified to explicitly state that personal ventilators will be protected in all cases.
Highlights
The Coronavirus disease (COVID-19) pandemic has led to intense conversations about ventilator allocation and reallocation during a crisis standard of care (CSC)
In the last few months, approaches that prioritize maximization of life have received repeated and notable challenges.[1]. One reason for such pushback is the implication that patients who could benefit from a ventilator might have the ventilator withheld or withdrawn if triage officers/teams decide that more patients could be saved by taking it from them.[2]. This reasoning could extend to ventilators outside the hospital setting; if more lives could be saved by taking advantage of chronic-use ventilators in the community, it would follow that these ventilators should be part of allocation schemas
Bioethicists, healthcare professionals, and public agencies must pay attention to this concern and clarify promptly: Are personal ventilators (PVs) part of the Acknowledgments: We extend our thanks to the many activists and scholars who have hosted webinars and other events to share the insights and experiences of the disability community during the Covid-19 pandemic
Summary
The Coronavirus disease (COVID-19) pandemic has led to intense conversations about ventilator allocation and reallocation during a crisis standard of care (CSC). In the last few months, approaches that prioritize maximization of life have received repeated and notable challenges.[1] One reason for such pushback is the implication that patients who could benefit from a ventilator might have the ventilator withheld or withdrawn if triage officers/teams decide that more patients could be saved by taking it from them.[2] This reasoning could extend to ventilators outside the hospital setting; if more lives could be saved by taking advantage of chronic-use ventilators in the community, it would follow that these ventilators should be part of allocation schemas. Bioethicists, healthcare professionals, and public agencies must pay attention to this concern and clarify promptly: Are personal ventilators (PVs) part of the
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