key: cord-0927579-gcyrxkvz
authors: Déserts, Marc Danguy des; Mathais, Quentin; Luft, Antoine; Escarment, Jacques; Pasquier, Pierre
title: Conception and deployment of a 30-bed field military intensive care hospital in Eastern France during the 2020 COVID-19 pandemic
date: 2020-04-29
journal: Anaesth Crit Care Pain Med
DOI: 10.1016/j.accpm.2020.04.008
sha: 5335836f57d13cb7de90329af49853f68ac92218
doc_id: 927579
cord_uid: gcyrxkvz

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In this military mission, several issues were resolved during the creation and even after the opening on March 24, 2020. First, we had to create ICU shift groups composed of physicians and paramedics coming from different ICUs of eight French military training hospitals. Some paramedics who did not usually work in ICU had to adapt quickly to a new and highly technical environment under challenging conditions, with the help of intensivists and experimented ICU nurses. Then, we had to be flexible and to adapt to face unexpected situations: pharmacy shortages, or unforeseen needs such as mechanical restraints for awakening patients. The access to the CT scanner was uneasy, and we had to plan intrahospital ambulance transports carefully. Ambient temperature was also challenging, because of negative temperatures outside down to -5°C during the nights and up to 33°C inside the EMRSSA during the day. However, air conditioning and heating were available. None of the equipment failed in the high or low temperatures, except the portable blood analyser that did not work at temperatures above 30°C.

Despite an austere environment and an exceptional health crisis, medical, paramedical staff, RMED soldiers and equipment performed well and approached the recommended standards of care. The EMRSSA was one of the French Military Health Service response to the COVID-19 pandemic in France, along with air evacuation of COVID-19 ICU patients with the MORPHEE module [3] , and naval evacuation with Mistral-class landing helicopter deck. Not only during military operations far away from France, but also in the national territory, in an unprecedented situation, the French Military Health Service remained faithful to its motto: "Your life, our fight".

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The authors thank all the teams involved in this operation: anaesthesiologists and intensivists, health caregivers, pharmacists and the RMED personals. Moreover, the authors pay a great tribute to the civilian ICU and medical teams from the Emile Muller hospital: Dr Christian Mayer, Dr Odile Theissen, Dr Khaldoun Kuteifan, Dr Philippe Guiot, Dr Xavier Nazica, Dr Marc Noizet, and their collaborators.