COVID‐19: The Uninvited Guest in the Intensive Care Unit — Implications for Pharmacotherapy

As the number of cases of COVID-19 (SARS-CoV-2) rise in the United States (US), the number of severe cases (those requiring ICU admission) rise with it. Initially, the estimate for severe cases was approximated at 5% based on experience from China.1, 2 However, the World Health Organization's (WHO) estimate from China for severe and critical cases is near 20% (Table).3 The primary clinical feature of COVID-19 is pneumonia, the severity of which directs the clinical course; it has been estimated that, of patients admitted to the ICU, up to half may require either invasive or non-invasive ventilatory support.4 This has created an unprecedented situation for emergency and critical care medicine.