Study of the Increase in ICU Beds Capacity During COVID-19 Pandemic in France

NCT ID: NCT04420286

Last Updated: 2025-12-04

Basic Information

• Recruitment Status: COMPLETED
• Total Enrollment: 9860 participants
• Study Classification: OBSERVATIONAL
• Study Start Date: 2020-05-06
• Study Completion Date: 2020-12-31

Brief Summary

For preventing the overwhelming of ICU beds capacity during COVID-19 pandemic in France, national and regional Health-Care institutions decided to optimize the Intensive Care Unit beds availability by opening new ICU beds in institutions with and without prior ICU. The Present study was design to retrospectively describe the origin of the ICU beds and human resources created during the COVID-19 outbreak in France.

Detailed Description

Since December 2019, the SARS-CoV-2 coronavirus disease has caused a worldwide outbreak of respiratory illness that rapidly invaded leading the world (WHO). Its most severe form is dominated by an acute respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS) with other organ failures requiring mechanical ventilation and admission in Intensive Care Unit (ICU). With a wide pandemic effect and a long length of mechanical ventilation, the intensive care units were quickly full.

For preventing the overwhelming of ICU beds capacity, national and regional Health-Care institutions (then French Health minister, every Regional Health) decided to optimize the Intensive Care Unit beds availability by opening new ICU beds in institutions with and without prior ICU.

Daily ICU beds availability was assessed in each institution, and at the regional level to organize potential patient transfers across regional and national hospital. Moreover, an extraordinary mobilization and joint efforts of medical, paramedical and administrative staff allowed getting the caregivers for managing the most severe patients in each ICU. All physicians who could manage ICU patients were involved in this crisis. In this context, anesthesiologists (who have gotten an ICU education during their studies) were involved, as the surgical activity has been reduced to the vital procedures. This overall organization permitted the admission of more patients than the initial maximum national capacity of ICU beds.

Conditions

Coronavirus Infections; COVID19 Outbreak in France

Study Design

• Observational Model Type: OTHER
• Study Time Perspective: RETROSPECTIVE

Study Groups

Hospital having ICU beds

Hospital having ICU beds during COVID-19 outbreak in France

No interventions assigned to this group

Eligibility Criteria

Inclusion Criteria

• Hospital having ICU during COVID-19 outbreak in France

Exclusion Criteria

• Hospital refuse to participate

• Eligible Sex: ALL
• Accepts Healthy Volunteers: No

Sponsors

Centre Hospitalier Universitaire de Nīmes

OTHER

Sponsor Role: lead

Responsible Party

Responsibility Role: SPONSOR

Locations

CHU de Nîmes, Hôpital Universitaire Carémeau

Nîmes, , France

Countries

France

References

Lefrant JY, Fischer MO, Potier H, Degryse C, Jaber S, Muller L, Pottecher J, Charboneau H, Meaudre E, Lanot P, Bruckert V, Plaud B, Dureuil B, Samain E, Bouaziz H, Ecoffey C, Capdevila X; French ICU study investigators group. A national healthcare response to intensive care bed requirements during the COVID-19 outbreak in France. Anaesth Crit Care Pain Med. 2020 Dec;39(6):709-715. doi: 10.1016/j.accpm.2020.09.007. Epub 2020 Oct 5.

Reference Type: RESULT

PMID: 33031979 (View on PubMed)

Other Identifiers

30RC20_0117

Identifier Type: -

Identifier Source: org_study_id