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Inpatient four times as long

Just over two months after Bent Høie folded the ruler, removed the meter rule and opened up society, the new Minister of Health Ingvild Kjerkol had to shut down parts of society again on 7 December.

A new professional assessment from the Norwegian Directorate of Health shows that 30 per cent of intensive care patients in Norwegian hospitals are corona patients.

In addition, they are hospitalized for an average of four times as long, and may require several intensive care nurses at the same time.

– The difference between now and before, is that the admitted covid-19 patients are in addition to the other intensive care patients. Actually, it is full of ordinary patients in the hospitals who do not have covid-19, and then the covid-19 patients come in addition, says assistant health director in the Norwegian Directorate of Health, Espen Nakstad.

30 percent corona patients

For several weeks, chief physicians and nurses at intensive care units at Norwegian hospitals have been giving notice burst capacity.

The Norwegian Institute of Public Health’s figures show that more than 25,000 new cases of infection were registered last week. This is the highest number during the entire pandemic.

Nakstad has explained that we now also have record high death toll as a result of covid-19.

– The number is actually up to seven deaths per day, and we have not had such high numbers since the pandemic started in Norway, Nakstad says.

From midnight on December 9 will be introduced national recommendations and rules which deals with, among other things, distance, social contact, events and serving at restaurants.

NEW MEASURES: The government held a press conference on the new national corona measures. Video: NTB.
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The Norwegian Directorate of Health’s report indicates that corona admissions continue to increase. On Thursday, 316 corona patients were admitted to Norwegian hospitals. 103 of them are in the intensive care unit, and 50 receive respiratory treatment.

In total, corona patients make up around three per cent of all patients in Norwegian hospitals, and 30 per cent of intensive care patients.

Patients admitted with corona are more resource-intensive than other types of patients admitted to hospital and intensive care, as corona patients require increased resources on premises, equipment and personnel.

The professional basis states, among other things, that the sickest corona patients on a respirator must be turned regularly from supine to supine.

It requires four to six health professionals with specialist expertise at the same time.

The head of the emergency department at Oslo University Hospital (OUS), Øyvind Skraastad, says that patients who develop pneumonia and pneumonia can stay in the intensive care unit for a long time.

This is in line with the Norwegian Directorate of Health’s report, which states that the median length of stay in the intensive care unit is around eight days for corona patients. For other intensive care patients, the same figure is two.

This means that it can accumulate in the intensive care units with corona patients who have to stay for a longer period of time.

In addition, a high proportion of corona patients need long-term and comprehensive rehabilitation after the course of the disease, according to the report.

81 percent of intensive care patients with corona have received respiratory treatment in Norway, according to the Norwegian Directorate of Health.

Compared with other intensive care patients, corona patients also have eight times longer respiratory time.

Postpones operations

Nakstad explains to Dagbladet that it is hard on the hospital’s operation that the number of corona patients admitted is so high.

This is confirmed by clinic manager Skraastad.

At OUS, they have taken down a lot of planned surgery. This was a measure that was introduced earlier this autumn due to the RS epidemic, but which still has to be practiced due to the number of corona admissions.

– Deductions affect the entire hospital’s operations. We do our utmost to spare cancer surgery and surgery for children. We have managed the whole pandemic, says Skraastad.

He adds that it is appropriate if most people are careful to help ease the capacity of the health care system.

Skraastad says it is especially important that Motorists drive carefully on slippery roads to avoid accidents.

Stricter drinking regulations can also ease the capacity for Norwegian hospitals because we have daily admissions for injuries under the influence of alcohol. This is reduced when people stay more at home, says the clinic manager.

Located just below the maximum limit

Skraastad believes it is too early to decide whether the measures introduced in society are effective enough, as there is not enough information about omikron yet. On the other hand, he is aware that the intensive care capacity in Norwegian hospitals has been too poor for a long time.

He is worried about the future recruitment of new nurses and doctors in intensive care if there is no improvement.

– We can not be directly below capacity taste. It worries me more than an acute virus situation.

The doctor asks people to remember that intensive care is about social security.

– We must have intensive preparedness – it is life-saving and must be in place. It is sufficient to point to July 22, a landslide in Gjerdrum, life-threatening violence in Kongsberg or a cave party at Lovisenberg, says Skraastad.

– We have employees who have worked very much for a very long time. They have a tolerance limit, he adds.

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