“Today, his oxygen level is worsening. Its saturation oscillates between 94 and 96 under 12 liters. We can’t keep him here. “In the emergency room of the Paul-d’Egine hospital in Champigny-sur-Marne (Val-de-Marne) specially dedicated to Covid patients, the Samu 94 has just arrived. A young patient must leave for the Bégin hospital in Saint-Mandé. The time for transmissions, to reassure the patient, and the Samu team leaves the premises.
Transfers like this one, the staff of Paul-d’Egine, the largest private hospital in Val-de-Marne, experience several each day. Since the start of the Covid crisis in March 2020, the private establishment has obtained authorization from the regional health agency (ARS) to open resuscitation beds. An authorization constantly renewed for a year to meet the needs.
No patients intubated in the unit
Today, it is a continuing care unit for critical cases, opened in the current form on March 3, that Paul-d’Egine manages. The big difference? Here, no intubated patients. But in the former visceral surgery department, transformed into a Covid unit, patients who require increased surveillance.
“The doctor just saw this patient. He has to go on a sheave to the Kremlin-Bicêtre, even at the maximum oxygen flow, it’s not okay, ”says a nurse leaving the room of the 69-year-old man. Arrived 48 hours earlier, after going to the emergency room in Montreuil, in Seine-Saint-Denis, the patient did not stay long.
“It is our daily life lately to organize the best care of each patient in the hospital best suited to his situation, specifies Abdel Mahammed, new director of the hospital for eight months. We work in permanent contact with Henri-Mondor (AP-HP) and CHIC in Créteil, Saint-Camille in Bry, Villeneuve-Saint-Georges or even in Seine-et-Marne, the Marne-Chantereine private hospital in Brou , which accommodates up to 50 patients in sheaves. Sometimes we also take non-Covid patients to relieve them. “
The Paul-d’Egine hospital had to review all of its usual organization. Between the double rooms in which only one patient can be installed and the SOS hands or the Breast Institute which must continue to operate, coordination is essential. “The crisis unit brings together twenty people twice a week,” says Valérie Mosseri, director of care, between two visits to the services.
“I present to you Marc Schmid. He is a physiotherapist. He does a tremendous job in the Covid unit, between respiratory physiotherapy and movements for patients who can no longer move too much, ”she says, before inquiring about the condition of a patient.
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As of this Friday, the unit has 13 patients, aged 48 to 92 years old. On average, they will stay for seven days, while the staff working there rotate as much as possible. This is the way of operating that the establishment chose to avoid overworking the nurses and nursing assistants so solicited for a year.
“Sometimes a few more arms arrive from other clinics in the department without a Covid unit,” adds the director of the establishment. But overall for this critical care unit things work with our staff. At the same time, 45 to 50% deprogramming of appointments or surgery is always achieved. But we are thus participating in the national effort! “
The pleasure of seeing patients return home
Between two visits by the dietician who works on adapting menus, oncologists who monitor their patients who have caught the Covid while they are in care for cancer, the caregivers of the unit take the time to reassure their patients .
“They take care of me here,” confirms Rinaldi, 66. Like all patients on the unit, he has to endure the days without family visits. Oxygen mask on the nose, the Saint-Maurien says he returned to the unit for four days for difficulty in breathing. “Fortunately we are supported, because I hear some who are more seriously affected than me and it is very distressing. “
Caregivers like to comment on cases that give them hope. “When patients go to intensive care, it is not always a bad sign, concludes Myriam, health manager. This lady, we helped her for two or three days and as her condition was worrying, she left for sheaves. When it was possible, after nine days, she came back. We took care of her for a few more days and today she is finally going home! “
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