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After there are already fears in some federal states that the rapid increase in the number of new corona infections in Austria could lead to supply problems in hospitals, intensive care doctors also warned about this on Wednesday. According to experts, the possibility of intensive care capacity limits was already noted in the summer.
In Austria, hospitalization and occupancy rates in intensive care units had increased rapidly due to Covid-19 illnesses: four weeks ago, a total of 469 Covid-19 patients were in hospital and 88 of them were in care. intensive, it was two weeks ago 654 and 112 and until Tuesday 1400 and 203 respectively, so the figures have multiplied almost tenfold since the beginning of September.
Considerable burden for hospitals
The fact that, in view of the further increase in the number of infections and such increasing rates, there is still occasionally talk of a relaxed situation when it comes to intensive care is incomprehensible to experts in intensive care medicine. “Unfortunately, we are increasingly moving towards a situation that we, along with other specialized societies, have constantly warned about since the summer,” said Klaus Markstaller, president of the Austrian Society for Anesthesia, Resuscitation and Intensive Medicine (ÖGARI) . “As is clearly shown again in some European countries, many simultaneous Covid-19 diseases place a considerable burden on hospitals and especially intensive care units, even limiting the care capacity of patients with but also without Covid infection -19 can go, “emphasized Markstaller.
This should also be taken into account in the context that even in well-equipped healthcare systems like the Austrian, the routine degree of utilization of intensive resources, without the additional burden of the pandemic, was deliberately very high and no large spare capacity it would have been economically justifiable in terms of personnel or structure. Perhaps not everyone is aware of this, “Markstaller noted.
Strong growth in intensive care patients
Experts warned that sharp increases in the number of patients requiring intensive care inevitably mean supply bottlenecks: in a situation where resources are overloaded, there is also a higher rate of preventable deaths, as can already be seen in other European countries. At the same time, this situation has negative consequences for patients with other diseases that do not necessarily need acute care. “No one wants us to have to re-restrict elective interventions, for example, but everyone needs to be aware that this is an almost inevitable consequence of increasing numbers of infections and not, as in the spring of this year, a measure. preventive “. Markstaller stressed. The fact that reports have already been received from several federal states that the limits of their intensive care capacity will soon be reached gives a picture of the real situation in hospitals, according to ÖGARI.
Implement measures more consistently
“For all of us this means, as challenging as it may be for the next few months, to implement known preventive measures much more consistently than before, in public and private spaces. Strict hand hygiene, keeping distance, reducing contacts to an absolutely necessary level and mouth. There is no way around protecting the nose, “says Markstaller. The specialized society appealed to policy makers to properly assess the seriousness of the supply situation and not only take the appropriate measures, but also communicate them in an understandable and uniform manner.
