COLUMBUS, Ohio (WCMH) — Hospitals are quickly approaching the point of COVID-19 patients displacing others who need beds, hospital chiefs warned in the Governor’s briefing.
Richard Lofgren, MD, President and CEO of UC Health, spoke about the way hospitals are becoming selective about transferring patients to ICUs, and now limiting the number of non-emergency surgeries.
Throughout the state there are increased demands on staffing, he said. Hospitals are reporting staffing shortages.
“The issue around burnout is very real. Exhaustion is actually palpable.”
As hospitalizations rapidly rise, they are considering allocation of scarce resources. The one that’s coming more to light is a kind of bypass they use for patients with severe respiratory failure.
As the surge increases, they will have to look at how to triage and take care of patients appropriately, Lofgren said.
