ATS Publishes New Guidance on COVID-19 Management

An American Thoracic Society-led international task force has released a guidance document to help clinicians manage COVID-19 patients in the face of a worldwide pandemic and minimal empirical evidence to guide treatment.

The international task force, comprised of clinicians from academic medical centers that are actively engaged in COVID-19 patient care, created consensus suggestions for treatment based on scarce direct evidence, indirect evidence, and clinical observations. Because the guidance is not based on high quality empirical evidence – since COVID-19 is an emerging disease – the task force made suggestions as opposed to recommendations. The suggestions should not be considered mandates and will be revisited as evidence accumulates.