Impact of hospital strain on excess deaths during the COVID-19 pandemic-United States, july 2020-july 2021

Am J Transplant. 2022 Feb;22(2):654-657. doi: 10.1111/ajt.16645.

Abstract

This article describes the excess deaths observed when hospitals are strained by COVID-19 admissions, as defined by intensive care unit bed occupancy. Specifically, when intensive care unit bed occupancy reaches 75% of capacity, there are an estimated 12,000 additional excess deaths; when hospitals exceed 100% of their intensive care unit bed capacity, approximately 80,000 excess deaths are expected in the following 2 weeks nationally. This report suggests that all patient populations, including transplant candidates and recipients, will experience additional excess deaths when there is increased strain on hospitals due to COVID-19 surges.

MeSH terms

  • COVID-19*
  • Hospitals
  • Humans
  • Pandemics
  • SARS-CoV-2
  • United States / epidemiology