The Hospital for Sick Children says that will probably be placing some surgical procedures on maintain in an attempt to “preserve critical care capacity” amid a major rise in affected person volumes.
In an announcement launched late Friday afternoon, the hospital stated that its intensive care unit census has been at the very least 127 per cent above capacity for a number of days now, prompting the transfer.
The hospital stated that as of Nov. 14 will probably be prioritizing “pressing, emergency and essentially the most time-sensitive surgeries” whereas cancelling different scheduled procedures.
It is unclear what number of procedures might be impacted by the change. The surgical backlog at SickChildren had already practically doubled throughout the COVID-19 pandemic, going from 3,800 in March 2020 to roughly 5,600 as of this previous June.
“This decision was not taken lightly. The reduction in surgical activity will allow us to support areas of the hospital that need help managing increasing patient volumes and acuity, including the critical care units, pediatric medicine and Emergency Department,” SickChildren President and CEO Dr. Ronald Cohn stated in the assertion. “I would really like to categorical my deep gratitude to everybody at SickChildren who’s going above and past, doing the very best they’ll, for sufferers and households, and for one another, throughout this tough time.”
Children’s hospitals throughout Ontario have been reporting a major rise in affected person volumes due to respiratory viruses to date this fall.
Last week, the commander of the Ontario Critical Care COVID-19 Command Centre urged hospital directors to admit teenage critical care sufferers to grownup intensive care items in a bid to release capacity.
The Ottawa-based Children’s Hospital of Eastern Ontario (CHEO) additionally opened up a secondary intensive care unit this week utilizing beds quickly reassigned from its surgical day unit.
In its assertion, SickChildren stated that it has already elevated the variety of sufferers with “higher acuity” being handled outdoors of the ICU however remains to be coping with capacity points.
It stated that additionally it is progressively unable to settle for new sufferers from neighborhood companions who likewise have “reached their most capacity.”
“We now find ourselves supporting our colleagues virtually to care for paediatric patients who would otherwise receive care at SickKids,” the assertion notes.
News that SickChildren will limit surgical procedures in an attempt to preserve capacity comes simply hours after Trillium Health Partners confirmed that pediatric sufferers have been not being admitted at Mississauga Hospital.
Instead, a spokesperson stated that sufferers have been being redirected to Credit Valley Hospital in an attempt at maximizing restricted assets.
“By working together on one site, our clinical teams have been able to keep the same number of beds open to support children and families in need,” Keeley Rogers stated in an announcement supplied to CP24. “We want to assure you that this has not decreased access to high quality care in our community and region. Our emergency department at Mississauga Hospital remains open to paediatric patients, and should admission be required, arrangements will be made for a transfer to CVH for care.”
The newest information from Critical Care Services Ontario’s every day census reveals that there are 122 pediatric sufferers in intensive care, up from 111 the day earlier than.
Ontario has a complete of 112 intensive care beds for kids.
In an announcement issued earlier on Friday, NDP Health Critic France Gélinas known as on the Ford authorities to take motion to handle a “hospital crisis” that’s “getting worse by the day.”
“The government must take urgent action to address the distress signals coming out of hospitals, and especially children’s hospitals. We should address the staffing crisis, including ripping up Bill 124, promote COVID and flu vaccination, and start showing respect to our health care professionals,” she stated.