Table 1.
National and Hospital-Level Changes in the Number of Intensive Care Unit (ICU) Beds During the COVID-19 Pandemic, as Reported to the National Healthcare Safety Network (NHSN), April 13–July 14. 2020
| Characteristic | Hospitals Reporting into NHSN’s COVID-19 Module | Changes in ICU Beds During COVID-19, Compared to the 2019 Annual Survey | Hospital-Level Distribution of Maximum Impact: % Change in ICU Capacitya | ||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Reporting Hospitalsb | Hospitals that Increased ICU Capacityc No. (%) | Hospitals that Decreased ICU Capacityd No. (%) | No. ICU Beds in 2019 | ICU Beds Addede
No. (%) |
ICU Beds Removede
No. (%) |
5% | 10% | 25% | 50% | 75% | 90% | 95% | |
| All hospitals | 3,867 | 1,512 (39.1) | 1,358 (35.1) | 84,631 | 30,279 (35.8) | 21,507 (25.4) | −74.5 | −60.0 | −18.8 | 0.0 | 37.9 | 100.0 | 175.0 |
| Hospital type | |||||||||||||
| General acute care | 2,575 | 1,246 (48.4) | 1,176 (45.7) | 76,577 | 27,581 (36.0) | 19,268 (25.2) | −73.4 | −62.5 | −33.3 | 0.0 | 53.8 | 125.0 | 213.0 |
| Critical access | 905 | 142 (15.7) | 104 (11.5) | 990 | 579 (58.5) | 320 (32.3) | −100.0 | −16.7 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 100.0 | 100.0 |
| Long-term acute care | 195 | 75 (38.5) | 13 (6.7) | 582 | 910 (156.4) | 56 (9.6) | −6.3 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 100.0 | 100.0 | 166.7 |
| Surgical | 74 | 10 (13.5) | 15 (20.3) | 351 | 273 (77.8) | 178 (50.7) | −93.3 | −50.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 50.0 | 100.0 |
| Children’s | 65 | 24 (36.9) | 29 (44.6) | 4,731 | 774 (16.4) | 1,361 (28.8) | −69.4 | −60.1 | −47.5 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 45.1 | 100.0 |
| Orthopedic | 18 | 1 (5.6) | 4 (22.2) | 50 | 11 (22.0) | 36 (72.0) | −100.0 | −100.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 100.0 |
| Otherf | 35 | 14 (40.0) | 17 (48.6) | 1,350 | 151 (11.2) | 288 (21.3) | −100.0 | −100.0 | −58.7 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 100.0 | 112.0 |
| Hospital size in 2019 g | |||||||||||||
| ≤25 beds | 1,045 | 163 (15.6) | 99 (9.5) | 906 | 808 (89.2) | 323 (35.7) | −100.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 100.0 | 100.0 |
| 26–100 beds | 1,068 | 360 (33.7) | 312 (29.2) | 6,453 | 3,736 (57.9) | 1,501 (23.3) | −100.0 | −66.7 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 50.0 | 100.0 | 212.5 |
| 101–220 beds | 836 | 433 (51.8) | 387 (46.3) | 16,181 | 7,090 (43.8) | 3,862 (23.9) | −71.4 | −61.9 | −34.7 | 0.0 | 63.4 | 141.7 | 250.0 |
| ≥221 beds | 918 | 556 (60.6) | 560 (61.0) | 61,091 | 18,645 (30.5) | 15,821 (25.9) | −69.7 | −61.7 | −42.5 | 0.0 | 53.1 | 123.1 | 178.6 |
| HHS region | |||||||||||||
| 1 - Upper Northeast | 145 | 75 (51.7) | 42 (29.0) | 2,524 | 1,930 (76.5) | 422 (16.7) | −64.3 | −50.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 100.0 | 181.3 | 275.0 |
| 2 - Middle Northeast | 173 | 118 (68.2) | 59 (34.1) | 5,127 | 3,917 (76.4) | 991 (19.3) | −71.4 | −55.6 | 0.0 | 63.9 | 116.1 | 221.4 | 286.4 |
| 3 - Lower Northeast | 280 | 123 (43.9) | 110 (39.3) | 7,417 | 1,914 (25.8) | 1,718 (23.2) | −77.2 | −60.2 | −30.0 | 0.0 | 39.1 | 111.1 | 200.0 |
| 4 - Southeast | 708 | 259 (36.6) | 247 (34.9) | 18,957 | 5,927 (31.3) | 3,825 (20.2) | −66.7 | −50.0 | −16.0 | 0.0 | 17.1 | 100.0 | 166.7 |
| 5 - Great Lakes | 715 | 317 (44.3) | 234 (32.7) | 13,617 | 6,012 (44.2) | 3,464 (25.4) | −100.0 | −60.3 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 64.3 | 116.7 | 200.0 |
| 6 - South Central | 606 | 203 (33.5) | 207 (34.2) | 13,057 | 3,795 (29.1) | 3,665 (28.1) | −72.4 | −59.5 | −21.1 | 0.0 | 17.2 | 100.0 | 127.3 |
| 7 - Middle Plains | 390 | 110 (28.2) | 87 (22.3) | 4,847 | 2,550 (52.6) | 1,052 (21.7) | −90.0 | −48.7 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 100.0 | 111.5 |
| 8 - Northern Plains | 208 | 55 (26.4) | 59 (28.4) | 2,310 | 409 (17.7) | 1,078 (46.7) | −100.0 | −66.7 | −18.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 100.0 | 121.4 |
| 9 - West | 475 | 191 (40.2) | 259 (54.5) | 14,051 | 3,186 (22.7) | 4,506 (32.1) | −75.0 | −66.7 | −50.0 | 0.0 | 12.5 | 100.0 | 129.6 |
| 10 - Northwest | 167 | 61 (36.5) | 54 (32.3) | 2,724 | 639 (23.5) | 786 (28.9) | −73.6 | −52.5 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 35.7 | 100.0 | 150.0 |
Note. ICU, intensive care unit; HHS, Department of Health and Human Services; NHSN, National Healthcare Safety Network.
Percent change in ICU capacity was calculated as: [(ICU beds reported on COVID-19 record – ICU beds reported on 2019 annual survey)/ICU beds reported on 2019 annual survey] ×100. Each hospital’s largest percent change value for ICU bed size, regardless of direction, was used to describe the maximum impact of COVID-19.
The number of hospitals that reported ICU capacity data to the NHSN COVID-19 module.
Hospitals that reported a larger number of ICU beds on at least 1 COVID-19 record, compared to the value reported on the 2019 annual survey.
Hospitals that reported a smaller number of ICU beds on at least 1 COVID-19 record, compared to the value reported on the 2019 annual survey.
Each hospital’s largest increase and largest decrease in ICU beds, compared to 2019, was used to populate these columns. These data are interpreted to represent temporary increases and decreases in the number of staffed ICU beds.
Consists of military, oncology, women’s, and women’s/children’s hospitals.
Based on the total number of inpatient beds (inclusive of ICU beds) reported on the 2019 annual survey, interpreted as each facility’s total bed size prior to the COVID-19 pandemic.