Intensive care in an unusual setting: management of pneumonia in a chimpanzee

We report a case in which intensive care doctors and nurses became involved in the care of a young chimpanzee who required ventilation for pneumonia at Wellington Zoo, New Zealand. This required staff to work outside the usual protected environment of a hospital intensive care unit. The chimpanzee, Bahati, was ventilated for 3 days, replicating intensive care practice, but died. Logistical challenges included equipment procurement, environment, electrical safety, gas supply and infection control. Other difficulties included differences in physiology, nursing care and therapeutics. End-of-life processes were similar, with zoo staff responding as if they were immediate family. Euthanasia was an unfamiliar process to ICU staff. Bahati’s death received national media attention and some criticism of the involvement of intensive care staff. The zoo staff were overwhelmed and grateful that everything possible was done for Bahati.

Crit Care Resusc 2008; 10: 55–58

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