Local Health Department Influenza Surveillance Estimates and Projections of Peak Pediatric Intensive Care Unit Occupancy During the 2009 Influenza A Pandemic

Always ready, always prepared-preparing for the next pandemic

A future global pandemic is likely to occur and planning for the care of critically ill children is less robust than that for adults. This review covers the current state of federal and regional resources for pediatric care in pandemics, a strategy for pandemic preparation in pediatric intensive care units and regions focusing on stuff, space, staff and systems, considerations in developing surge capacity and triage protocols, special circumstances such as highly infectious and highly lethal pandemics, and a discussion of ethics in the setting of pediatric critical care in a pandemic.