Eur Heart J. 2020 Apr 7 : ehaa279.
Published online 2020 Apr 7. doi: 10.1093/eurheartj/ehaa279
PMCID: PMC7184497
PMID: 32255476
COVID-19 experience in Bergamo, Italy
Michele Senni
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Bergamo is the town most affected by the COVID-19 epidemic, not only in the Lombardy Region but also throughout Italy, with >9000 COVID-positive cases, and 2300 ascertained deaths. Unfortunately, the infection is not even sparing young people.

The consequences of the COVID-19 emergency for the entire ‘Papa Giovanni XXIII’ Hospital of Bergamo have been dramatic. At present (mid-March), from a total of 779 hospital beds, >500 are occupied by COVID-positive patients. The 46 beds previously reserved for the ICU (intensive care unit) have been increased to 100, of which 88 are occupied by COVID-positive patients, all of them intubated and with an average age of 61 years.

Due to the shortage of resources , a triage of the patients to be intubated was needed, based on data such as age, presence of comorbidity, degree of respiratory failure severity, and life expectancy.

Although our hospital structure is at the forefront and with great flexibility for organization, during the last month it has run the risk of collapse, facing such a violent epidemic comparable to a tsunami, from which it differs in terms of time, lasting not a single day but more than a month.