The Life-Saving Potential of Essential Emergency and Critical Care
Every year, millions of people around the world face life-threatening emergencies that result in death. Many of these deaths could be prevented with simple, cost-effective medical interventions. An important question to answer is:
How Many Lives Could EECC Save?
To model we need the following inputs:
Lives Saved = D1 - D2
Where:
D1: Current Annual Deaths
D2: Annual Deaths with full EECC
And:
D1 = C x M1
D2 = C x M2
Where:
C = number people become critically ill each year
M1 = current average mortality rate for critically ill patients
M2 = average mortality rate for critically ill patients with EECC
Using global health data, Here’s how the numbers break down:
C = 45 million adults become critically ill each year (from Adhikari et al., The Lancet, 2010). This study data is based on the world population in 2004 of 6.4bn. Population has since increased by 27.8% to 8.2bn, meaning in 2025 there are an estimated 57.5 million critically ill adults each year.
M1 = 18.7% is the current average mortality rate for critically ill patients (from Schell et al., BMJ Global Health).
M2 = 17.0% is the estimated mortality rate if all critically ill patients received full EECC (based on nominal group estimates of a relative mortality reduction of 22% Shah et al PharmacoEconomics - Open 2023).
From these numbers:
D1 (current annual deaths) = 10.75 million (57.5 million x 18.7%).
D2 (deaths with full EECC) = 9.78 million (57.5 million x 17.0%).
Averted adult deaths = 970k (uncertainty interval range: 485k – 1,940k).
From this we can estimate that EECC could prevent 1 million deaths annually.
Key Assumptions in the Calculations
These estimates rely on a few key assumptions:
EECC availability differs by region: Higher-resource areas provide about 80% of EECC, while lower-resource areas provide only 20%.
Mortality reduction varies: In wealthier regions, EECC could reduce deaths by 4.4%, while in lower-resource regions, it could reduce deaths by 17.6%. This is based on the existing availability of EECC in key assumption 1.
Effectiveness is consistent across settings: The impact of EECC is assumed to be similar in different healthcare environments.
A Cost-Effective Solution
One of the most compelling aspects of EECC is its low cost. Unlike intensive care units that require expensive technology, EECC relies on simple interventions that can be applied anywhere. The return on investment is enormous—not only in terms of lives saved but also in reducing the long-term burden on healthcare systems.
EECC Must Be a Global Priority
The numbers are clear: EECC has the potential to save 1m lives every year. Governments, healthcare providers, and policymakers must act now to ensure that these basic interventions are available in every hospital, especially in low-resource settings.
By scaling up EECC, we can take a massive step toward reducing preventable deaths and improving healthcare outcomes worldwide. The solution is simple, effective, and within reach—we just need the commitment to make it happen.