Lakshman Swamy MD (he/him): For many of us, #climate change is intimidating but distant. We are worried about an abstract future, we hear all the time about how quickly it is approaching, we may be frustrated with how much is asked of us & how little it seems to matter what we do... aacnjournals.org/ajcconline/a... #medsky

For many of us, #climate change is intimidating but distant. We are worried about an abstract future, we hear all the time about how quickly it is approaching, we may be frustrated with how much is asked of us & how little it seems to matter what we do... aacnjournals.org/ajcconline/a... #medsky

Climate Change and the Intensive Care Unit | American Journal of Critical Care | American Association of Critical-Care Nursesaacnjournals.org

We may want the health system to do more about it. As clinicians practicing in the intensive care unit (ICU), the climate is particularly remote—in our units, we control and standardize the climate in every patient’s room. The weather can feel quite far away indeed.

Yet, climate change is manifesting in our local communities, more every day, and this touches our daily experience in the ICU more than we may recognize.

Effects seen in the ICU range from the immediate impact of catastrophic weather events to the secondary effects of infectious disease spread & the long-term impact on chronic disease exacerbation, all of which can affect the lived experience of patients and clinicians in the ICU.

Intensive care, unsurprisingly, has a dramatically larger carbon footprint than acute care; the difference is comparable to putting the patient in an airplane. Furthermore, the ICU’s footprint is dramatically higher in the United States than in other countries.

Given the impact on our patients and the potential for improvement in our units, considering climate change is part of our social responsibility in the ICU. ... More in our new editorial! Please check it out and share. aacnjournals.org/ajcconline/a...

Climate Change and the Intensive Care Unit | American Journal of Critical Care | American Association of Critical-Care Nursesaacnjournals.org

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