Abstract

Presentation of a decision-making case for the allocation of health resources in a crisis situation, where the supply of intensive care unit (ICU) beds and resources are not enough to meet the demand overwhelmed by a pandemic. The different criteria proposed by the members of the health team are presented and analyzed and the decision finally made by the director of the institution is questioned, to set as a prioritization crite­rion to allocate beds, fans and other ICU resources in strict order of arrival of patients, regardless of their health situation and their chances of recovery. An analysis is made from ethics of what would be the most appropriate criteria to prioritize patient care when there is a gap between resources and needs or requests.