The New Zealand medical journal
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There has been a lot of speculation that patients with coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) who are receiving angiotensin-converting enzyme (ACE) inhibitors or angiotensin receptor blockers (ARBs) may be at increased risk for adverse outcomes. We reviewed the available evidence, and have not found this to be the case. We recommend that patients on such medications should continue on them unless there is a clinical indication to stop their use.
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Admission of patients with likely fatal illness to ICU "solely for possible organ donation" has been a long-standing practice in New Zealand. This is advocated as a means of increasing the availability of organs for transplant. We sought to determine the extent and characteristics of current clinical practice. ⋯ There are already a small number of patients being admitted to ICUs in New Zealand "solely for possible organ donation", the majority following prior family discussion of donation. These patients occupy a small number of ICU bed-days and contribute ~15% of the deceased donation activity. Organ Donation New Zealand has developed and recently promulgated recommended best practice guidelines for clinicians in the ICU and emergency departments and is supporting expansion of the practice within the scope of these guidelines.