Covid-19 Airway Management and Ventilation Strategy for Critically Ill Older Patients

This book describes the issues and challenges that clinicians encountered in the management of older critically ill patients during the Covid-19 pandemic, and offers practical information on how to manage them. Older adults are more susceptible to complications such as acute respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS) as a result of viral pneumonia. In addition, they often have multiple comorbidities and are commonly frail, which means their various organs and systems, such as the respiratory system, have reduced functional reserves. As such, older adults are less able to react to acute stressors. During the current Covid-19 pandemic, older adult patients' mortality is increased. Further, the infection and death rates of elderly people in nursing homes and health care institutions are high.

Management of older adults with Covid is complicated. The reduced availability of beds may limit their access to ICU. Moreover, the prognosis may be poor, and airway management and ventilation strategies have to take into account various clinical and physiological characteristics specific to older patients.

This book is addressed to all allied professionals involved in the management of older critically ill patients and presents information collected and practical lessons learned from the clinical daily management of this population during the pandemic. 

Dr. Nicola Vargas works as a geriatrician at the Geriatric and Geriatric Intensive Care Departments of the High Survey Hospital of Avellino, Italy. After graduating with honors from Naples “Federico II” University, Dr. Vargas completed his medical residencies at the Institute of Gerontology and Geriatrics, University of Parma, Italy, and as an intensive care physician at the Institute of Anesthesia and Intensive Care Medicine, University “Federico II”, Naples, Italy. His work mainly focuses on the field of emergency and intensive care medicine, especially geriatric intensive care. Moreover he is interested in the elderly population’s health problems. He is the author of numerous publications and meetings communications and two books.

Prof. Antonio M. Esquinas, MD, PhD, FCCP, FNIV, is the  Director of the International School of Non Invasive Mechanical Ventilation and Director International NIV fellowship Program   at the Intensive Care Unit at the Hospital Morales Meseguer, Murcia, Spain,  where he is a critical care specialist and staff physician. He is an active member and international fellow of the American Association for Respiratory Care (AARC);  fellow of the American College of Chest Physicians (ACCP) and the European Respiratory Society;  and President of the International Association of Non-invasive Ventilation.  His main research activities are related to non-invasive mechanical ventilation in pulmonary and critical care. He is the author of more than 54 books (in English, Portuguese, Spanish and Chinese), numerous articles (more than 660) and book chapters (160) and has participated in international meetings related to education and research on non-invasive ventilation.

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