The intensive care unit of the Purpan University Hospital currently manages 70% of patients suffering from serious Covid, almost all unvaccinated. Reporting
On the first floor of the URM building, in Purpan, the “sheave” service is always full. Two thirds of the 18 beds are occupied by “serious Covid” patients, most often intubated. Fever, cough, breathing difficulties, these are the symptoms that bring them here, in these large individual rooms with negative air pressure, where they sometimes stay for up to a month. Each nurse monitors two patients simultaneously, thanks to the monitoring screens within sight, next to the beds and in the wide corridors.
The Omicron wave has not yet reached this point. A single patient affected by the last of the variants was admitted two days ago. The others are Delta patients, almost all unvaccinated. “In real life, we only have severe cases, anyway,” recalls a blue blouse, who says “tired by the workload and the pressure”.
“Lassitude” is a word that comes up often among staff, especially when dealing with unvaccinated patients: “We are sometimes stuck between our personal exasperation and ethical imperatives of care. “
“We had no respite”
The service is running at full speed. “Every day, it’s a bit of an obsession to find a place to accommodate the constant inflow,” explains Edith Hourcastagnou, an anesthesiologist and resuscitator. It’s like a marathon that never stops. We started strong and since then we haven’t had a break, ”she adds.
However, the reception capacity in “sheaves” has increased recently, with 20 additional beds throughout the CHU, recalls Béatrice Riu, head of the service of the Purpan intensive care unit. “It makes it possible to take charge of other pathologies, even if there has been deprogramming and the hospital is idling. “
The Omicron, very contagious, risks bringing “a lot of hospitalizations”, according to Béatrice Riu, with in particular patients who “decompensate chronic pathologies”. The other fear is that caregivers are affected by the contagiousness of the Omicron. “We risk having hospitalization services under pressure in January. “
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