Among other queries, the explosion of the COVID-19 pandemic at the beginning of 2020
has firmly put in focus the sensitive issue of how to allocate scarcely available
life-saving treatments in a fair and just manner. The first European country to face
an emergency caused by the pandemic was Italy. In a rapidly escalating crisis, on
6th March 2020, the Italian Society of Anaesthesia, Analgesia, Resuscitation, and
Intensive Care (SIAARTI) issued a series of 15 re-commendations, suggesting that a
utilitarian approach should be adopted in Italian health care and the extremely scarce
resources should be reserved for patients with a greater probability of survival and
life expectancy, in order to maximize the benefits for the largest possible number
of people. The recommendations generated a heated debate among health care professionals,
thereby evidencing that similar discussions must be initiated and pursued in all countries
affected by the pandemic.
