[Intensive care back up for infectious disease disasters].

BACKGROUND

Outbreaks of infectious diseases pose particular challenges for hospitals and intensive care units.

OBJECTIVES

Typical infectiological scenarios and their significance for modern intensive care medicine are presented.

MATERIALS AND

METHODS

Selected pathogens/infectious diseases that have significantly strained the resources of intensive care units are described.

RESULTS

Intensive medical care is necessary in severe cases of many infectious diseases. In the context of epidemics/pandemics, many critically ill patients have to be admitted within a short time. Examples are the 2009 H1N1 influenza pandemic, the 2011 enterohemorrhagic Escherichia coli (EHEC) outbreak in northern Germany, the 2014/2015 Ebola fever outbreak and the 2020 coronavirus disease 19 (COVID-19) pandemic. Multidisciplinary teams, protocol development, adequate staffing, and training are required to achieve optimal treatment outcomes, including prevention of healthcare worker infections.

CONCLUSIONS

Pandemics and epidemics are unique challenges for intensive care unit preparedness planning.