The San Jose Regional Medical Center on Tuesday put additional staff on the call, which doctors believe could lead to a 15% increase in patients experiencing an array of cardiac problems due to election day stress.
The director of the emergency room at the San Jose Regional Medical Center, Dr. This type of stress leads to a well-documented increase in vascular events, said Paul Silca.
The 45-bed emergency room usually sees 185 patients a day. Because of the election, Silka expects it to reach 210 or more patients.
Not all of them will have a heart attack because of the election. Some may have heart palpitations, heart palpitations, or heart failure instead. Stroke is also a possibility.
Silka said the election could go beyond the general and personal response to high-tension incidents.
Medical research, Silka said, said events such as elections, natural disasters and major sporting events such as the Super Bowl lead to an increase in cardiac patients.
The emergency room at the regional medical center will have an additional doctor, two additional nurses and three additional staff members while the ballot is being counted, Silka said.
In a memo to staff about the “high tense atmosphere caused by the election”, hospital administrators asked all hands to stand back and stand together.
“We know that (stress) can ignore acute illness, especially cardiovascular events,” Memo said. “We are also prepared for the increased trauma in the event of a civil unrest.”
Other strategies also work, Silka advised stressed voters.
The doctor said, “Take a deep breath. “Pay attention. Don’t watch television.”
Steve Rubenstein is a San Francisco Chronicle staff writer. Email: [email protected] Twitter: SteveRubeSF
