ICU Physician: ‘Real Risk’ Ventilating Two Patients with 1 Ventilator Will ‘Hurt More People’ than Helps

EXCERPT:

HENRY: "The Trump Administration giving the green light to hospitals splitting ventilators but only under certain conditions writing, quote, 'Such a strategy should only be considered as an absolute last resort, judged against the alternatives, a long term hand bagging or death. These decisions must be made on an individual institution, care-provider, and patient level.' Joining us to help explain and what through this Dr. Douglas White. He is intensive care physician and professor of Critical Care Medicine, Medicine at the University of Pittsburgh. Doctor, thanks for coming in."
WHITE: "My pleasure."
HENRY: "How do you read that guidance from the administration?"
WHITE: "I think it is very guarded. And they are right to explain it in that way because there is quite a lot of uncertainty about the safety of ventilating two patients with one ventilator. Essentially there is a real risk that it will hurt more people than it harms if it comes to that."