Intensive Care Unit (ICU): Resources and Demands

Recent events have reinforced the notion that mass casualty events (MCEs) (both natural and man-made) are an ever-present threat to public safety. Though each mass casualty incident is unique, there is a similar pattern of challenges for the intensive care unit. This chapter will review those commonly encountered challenges of resource planning and provide a guide for allocation of resources once all efforts of extending care have been exhausted.