Current Challenges in the Management of Sepsis in ICUs in Resource-Poor Settings and Suggestions for the Future

Achieving affordable critical care in low-income and middle-income countries

“…Currently, capacity for critical illness care in many LMICs3–5 is limited. In high-income countries, there are generally between 5 and 30 intensive care unit (ICU) beds per 100 000 people 2 3. The limited data available indicate that in LMICs, there are between 0.1 and 2.5 ICU beds per 100 000 people.…”

Hemodynamic Assessment and Support in Sepsis and Septic Shock in Resource-Limited Settings

“…Recommendations for care in patients with sepsis or septic shock are largely based on evidence originating from resource-rich settings [1]. It is increasingly appreciated that these recommendations cannot be directly generalized to resource-limited settings for several reasons, including restrictions in human and material resources but also concerns regarding costs and safety [2,3]. It is even possible that the efficacy and effectiveness of certain strategies differ between resource-rich and resource-limited settings.…”

“…It is even possible that the efficacy and effectiveness of certain strategies differ between resource-rich and resource-limited settings. Indeed, efficacy and effectiveness could depend on the type of sepsis, and it is well known that non-bacterial sepsis is much more common in resource-limited than in resource-rich settings [3].…”

Intensive care for COVID-19 in low- and middle-income countries: research opportunities and challenges

“…The pandemic is exacerbating endemic shortages in staffing and infrastructure, and has the potential to overwhelm services: access to emergency and critical care beds is limited, oxygen supplies inadequate, the scope for recruiting extra staff with acute care training scarce, and healthcare quality evaluations exceptional [7][8][9]. In Brazil, the provision of ICU care during the pandemic has been boosted through the creation of an additional 9000 ICU beds.…”