Tweet
We are doing ok here at ground zero. We have enough vents for now. We have enough beds. We have enough PPE, but I wake up at night worrying about our front lines and lack of sufficient PPE if this gets way out of control. We track PPE burn rates and our in-stock supply count daily. We got gouged by a vendor charging $10/N-95 instead of our usual $1 per mask. COVID test results are often delayed, best is 1 day, worst is 4 days and counting. We make clinical diagnoses based on history and imaging. Like 3rd world medicine as far as viral testing, except we have high resolution CT images.
We have emergency preparedness meetings daily. We make contingency plans. Where to put overflow ICU patients if needed? We have extra vents lined up. And the ORs have extra vents as well. Where to put moderate pneumonia patients if the hospital were to get to 150% census? Almost all visitors are banned from hospital and ED. Tent outside is set up for screening away from other patients. Hospital lobby and waiting rooms are closed. Waiting room is in your personal vehicle if you have one. You get called on your cell phone when it is your turn to be seen. And so forth.
The docs and nurses are gladiators, amazing dedication, but there is underlying fear as the data from China on the age prevalence doesn't seem completely accurate. Or maybe the virus has mutated. There are cases of younger adults who are quite sick with severe pneumonia.
Please stay safe and protect yourself. I hope that many in our community are able to stay home. For every person who doesn't get sick now, we will save lives. Flatten the curve and this will be ok. Or continue life as usual and allow for a big acute illness peak and this will be very ugly with many excess deaths. Like in Italy. What a tragedy to be in the position of playing God, to have to extubate a senior citizen to save a younger patient by providing an otherwise unavailable ventilator.
Remember the battle cry, "Flatten the Curve!" Yes, flatten the curve. Encourage everyone you meet to flatten the curve. We are the docs, the voices of reason and authority in our communities. Speak up, please!
We have emergency preparedness meetings daily. We make contingency plans. Where to put overflow ICU patients if needed? We have extra vents lined up. And the ORs have extra vents as well. Where to put moderate pneumonia patients if the hospital were to get to 150% census? Almost all visitors are banned from hospital and ED. Tent outside is set up for screening away from other patients. Hospital lobby and waiting rooms are closed. Waiting room is in your personal vehicle if you have one. You get called on your cell phone when it is your turn to be seen. And so forth.
The docs and nurses are gladiators, amazing dedication, but there is underlying fear as the data from China on the age prevalence doesn't seem completely accurate. Or maybe the virus has mutated. There are cases of younger adults who are quite sick with severe pneumonia.
Please stay safe and protect yourself. I hope that many in our community are able to stay home. For every person who doesn't get sick now, we will save lives. Flatten the curve and this will be ok. Or continue life as usual and allow for a big acute illness peak and this will be very ugly with many excess deaths. Like in Italy. What a tragedy to be in the position of playing God, to have to extubate a senior citizen to save a younger patient by providing an otherwise unavailable ventilator.
Remember the battle cry, "Flatten the Curve!" Yes, flatten the curve. Encourage everyone you meet to flatten the curve. We are the docs, the voices of reason and authority in our communities. Speak up, please!
Comment