Hospitals in the US postpone selective surgery (STS: selective surgery is the term given to all non-emergency surgeries for which hospitalization may be delayed by at least 24 hours) to staff and beds due to the increase in coronavirus cases due to the highly transmitted Omicron variant.
Hospital administrators say staff shortages have increased in the past month as nursing staff are isolated or quarantined after being infected or exposed to the virus.
The hospital system in nearly half of U.S. states, including Maryland, Virginia and Ohio, has announced it will postpone selective surgeries, according to a review of public statements and local media reports by at least three media outlets. Governments – in New York, Illinois and Massachusetts – have proposed or already enforced the postponement of these interventions at the state level.
Most areas where hospitals are suspending these surgeries have either peaked or increased the daily rates of COVID-19 patients in December or January, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
The increase in cases of the Omicron variant has forced the National Institutes of Health to postpone selective surgeries at the largest hospital in the United States that deals with clinical research, Reuters reported.
Suspension of selective surgeries risks causing accumulated cases, losing millions of dollars in hospitals, and in some cases leading to serious illness and death.
Selective care can be critical, says Cynthia Cox, vice president of the Kaiser Family Foundation.
Tens of thousands more people than expected would have died from non-COVID-related causes during the pandemic, and some of those deaths are thought to be related to delayed care, she said.
“These are often cancer surgeries or other types of care that need to be done in a timely manner for the safety and health of patients.”
Johns Hopkins had to impose crisis protocols at one of his hospitals, Johns Hopkins Bayview Medical Center, delaying selective surgeries and relocating staff, according to his spokesman, Danny Jacobs.
Baltimore Hospital, for example, saw a 360% increase in COVID-19 patients in December, the highest number since the pandemic began, he added.
Source: AMPE
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Source From: Capital
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