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The largest part of the ethical dilemma here was caused by a simple, solvable problem. Have enough machines. Make it so they're like ventilators. Nothing in
by iancmceachern 3y ago
The largest part of the ethical dilemma here was caused by a simple, solvable problem.
Have enough machines. Make it so they're like ventilators.
Nothing in this story would rise to the level of "ethical dilema" if they had enough machines.
- inglor_cz 3y agoThose machines need highly qualified personnel in order to save patients. Unlike machines, people cannot be manufactured in large enough numbers, and there is an upper limit on people capable, skilled and willing to work in a high-stress environment like the ICU.
- iancmceachern 3y ago100% We can work to make the machines easier and more effective to use, etc. Hopefully these will improve the day-to-day lives and throughput these caregivers are able to provide.
- Zenzero 3y agoThis is almost becoming too much to respond to everyone in this thread saying this. The problem is not the machine. It is the human labor involved in maintaining operation of that machine. Vents are also labor intensive. You can't just intubate a patient and push the on button. The problem is quite literally that it takes time and effort from a limited group of people. Do you allow new admits to die because your staff is consumed with maintaining people indefinitely on ECMO?
- iancmceachern 3y agoI know, I design these things. What I'm saying is that in the 70s, when dialysis started, with those reusable parallel plate dialyzers, that assisting someone with dialysis was a full time job for a person. Now, because of advancements in dialysis machines, a single person can care for a whole clinic. We can do the same thing for ECMO.