Hospitals in Boston filling up

[eastcoast_bsc]

I work for a large group of Boston hospitals and without giving out specifics the number of patients with Covid 19 are starting to pile up and a percentage of those are in the ICU. one hospital has over 70 another over 50 and the others are showing an uptick. Probably about 10% are in the ICU.

 

[dogs4thewin]

I work for a large group of Boston hospitals and without giving out specifics the number of patients with Covid 19 are starting to pile up and a percentage of those are in the ICU. one hospital has over 70 another over 50 and the others are showing an uptick. Probably about 10% are in the ICU.

What percentage is in the ICU?

 

[eastcoast_bsc]

What percentage is in the ICU?

From eyeballing the numbers about 10% maybe slightly less but that is just a snapshot. The numbers are fluid. ICU probably indicates pneumonia.

 

[eastcoast_bsc]

Boston has a large number of hospitals, this was based on several.

 

[dogs4thewin]

From eyeballing the numbers about 10% maybe slightly less but that is just a snapshot. The numbers are fluid. ICU probably indicates pneumonia.

but 10% does not appear to be an awful lot, so what is with the major concern with running out of ICU beds. I live in a rural county that currently has no confirmed cases and am not a doctor so 10% does not appear to be many.

 

[eastcoast_bsc]

but 10% does not appear to be an awful lot, so what is with the major concern with running out of ICU beds. I live in a rural county that currently has no confirmed cases and am not a doctor so 10% does not appear to be many.

So one hospital has over 70 corona virus patients with 12 in ICU. How many of those might wind up in the ICU?

 

[“Paisios”]

I work for a large group of Boston hospitals and without giving out specifics the number of patients with Covid 19 are starting to pile up and a percentage of those are in the ICU. one hospital has over 70 another over 50 and the others are showing an uptick. Probably about 10% are in the ICU.

I’m just north of you in New Hampshire, also working for a hospital. Praying for you, Boston, this country and the world as this pandemic continues to spread. Stay as safe as you can.

 

[dogs4thewin]

12 are in the ICU of 70 you mean?

 

[eastcoast_bsc]

Most hospital have less then 20 ICU beds. Intensive care has specialized equipment.

 

[dogs4thewin]

I’m just north of you in New Hampshire, also working for a hospital. Praying for you, Boston, this country and the world as this pandemic continues to spread. Stay as safe as you can.

I posted a thread in praise reports where I update praises on GA numbers ( of course not all updates have a praise.

 

[eastcoast_bsc]

I’m just north of you in New Hampshire, also working for a hospital. Praying for you, Boston, this country and the world as this pandemic continues to spread. Stay as safe as you can.

Prayer back my friend. The nurses and Drs are working crazy hours. I work in IT and we getting killed.

 

[dogs4thewin]

Most hospital have less then 20 ICU beds. Intensive care has specialized equipment.

OH so there are very vary few ICU beds compared to the hospital beds.

 

[eastcoast_bsc]

12 are in the ICU of 70 you mean?

Yes. That is one hospital. The others have similar numbers. Mind you they are less the 10 miles apart.

 

[eastcoast_bsc]

OH so there are very vary few ICU beds compared to the hospital beds.

Of course. A large hospital can have 500 beds but less than 20 ICU beds.

 

[dogs4thewin]

Yes. That is one hospital. The others have similar numbers. Mind you they are less the 10 miles apart.

I noticed that between noon and 7PM today there were only 20 additional cases confirmed in GA (GA is where I live so that is the state I most know the numbers.

 

[dogs4thewin]

Of course. A large hospital can have 500 beds but less than 20 ICU beds.

oh so that is what is with the major concern.

 

[“Paisios”]

but 10% does not appear to be an awful lot, so what is with the major concern with running out of ICU beds. I live in a rural county that currently has no confirmed cases and am not a doctor so 10% does not appear to be many.

Massachusetts had (as of 3/29/2020) 399 patients hospitalized. If 10% of those are in ICU (I can’t verify that percentage), then that is 39, which doesn’t sound like a lot, BUT ICU beds are not only for COVID-19 patients and our ICUs are generally not empty (think of critical care heart attacks, strokes, emergency heart bypass patients, etc. who continue to need care whether or not there is a pandemic on top of it) so not every ICU bed on the books is available AND we are still early on in the pandemic. The peak is not here, and as cases continue to grow there is a good chance that in many areas our hospitals will be overwhelmed, unless we space these cases out by reducing the rate of spread. Even if we can find enough new equipment and space to meet the demand, it would not be that easy to find additional trained staff to monitor all those patients (critical care medicine, ICU nursing, respiratory therapy, etc. all require extensive schooling which can’t be done overnight).

 

[“Paisios”]

Prayer back my friend. The nurses and Drs are working crazy hours. I work in IT and we getting killed.

We have not been hit so hard yet, but we have the feeling of a calm before the storm, or as someone put it « waiting for the tsunami after the earthquake ». May God have mercy on us.

 

[eastcoast_bsc]

Massachusetts had (as of 3/29/2020) 399 patients hospitalized. If 10% of those are in ICU (I can’t verify that percentage), then that is 39, which doesn’t sound like a lot, BUT ICU beds are not only for COVID-19 patients and our ICUs are generally not empty (think of critical care heart attacks, strokes, emergency heart bypass patients, etc. who continue to need care whether or not there is a pandemic on top of it) so not every ICU bed on the books is available AND we are still early on in the pandemic. The peak is not here, and as cases continue to grow there is a good chance that in many areas our hospitals will be overwhelmed, unless we space these cases out by reducing the rate of spread. Even if we can find enough new equipment and space to meet the demand, it would not be that easy to find additional trained staff to monitor all those patients (critical care medicine, ICU nursing, respiratory therapy, etc. all require extensive schooling which can’t be done overnight).

The numbers I saw for the ICU were exclusively Covid patients.

 

[“Paisios”]

The numbers I saw for the ICU were exclusively Covid patients.

Yes, I know. My point was that in addition to the COVID-19 patients there are other patients also using some of the existing ICU beds, putting more stress on the system.