Current Events > I literally can't transfer critical patients to ICUs

(+) Yeah! (+)

This is completely insane. I've had two patients die with critical surgical need who couldn't be transferred to any hospital within 1,000 miles because there were no surgical ICU beds available.

This is the worst healthcare crisis I've ever experienced, by a huge margin.

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It really amazes me that so many people just don't give a fuck about this happening

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Man reading that topic title certainly made me mad for things that have nothing to do with COVID

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I'm about ready to buy my own bed "just in case"

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This situation is so out of control and yet half the country still thinks its a hoax. I don't know how we can resolve this.

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CableZL posted...

It really amazes me that so many people just don't give a fuck about this happening

Those people just don't really get to see it.

Out of sight out of mind.

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The thing is, it's not just that all the ICU beds are filled with unvaccinated COVID patients (they are), but also that there's a RIDICULOUS nursing shortage that keeps getting worse as they all either quit or go "traveling" for extra money. So even if there were any beds, they wouldn't be staffed. It's insane.

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The scariest thing will be discovered years from now when we really understand how many people in the healthcare industry committed suicide just from the stress of all of this. Even after this pandemic cools down, I can see this being shit that plays out a long time.

DarkRoast posted...

The thing is, it's not just that all the ICU beds are filled with unvaccinated COVID patients (they are), but also that there's a RIDICULOUS nursing shortage that keeps getting worse as they all either quit or go "traveling" for extra money. So even if there were any beds, they wouldn't be staffed. It's insane.

I feel you there, Doctor...

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CableZL posted...

It really amazes me that so many people just don't give a fuck about this happening

It doesn't surprise me at all. Vaccinated people are flat out laughing at unvaccinated people who die from covid. Unvaccinated people still refuse to believe the virus is a threat. I doubt the government will push for another lockdown due to lack of support. This is going to play out until we get millions of deaths.

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It's fucking INFURIATING when people say shit like "open your eyes, everything's fine"

Not for people who have their eyes open in the hospital T_T

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My dads ER here in Houston has like a 3 day wait time just to be seen. People are dying in the waiting room. Only time someone new gets admitted overnight is when a COVID patient upstairs dies.


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Just turn da POS antivaxxers always, if dey don't believe in science den tell dem to go to church instead to get cured
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At this point anti vaxxers shouldn't be getting hospital beds even if they are available.

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CableZL posted...

It really amazes me that so many people just don't give a fuck about this happening

How many of them said they'd "take their chances" just to become a fatality? And how badly are these all snowballing into more deaths unrelated to it? All those demagogues saying it's fake or the vaccine is dangerous need to be sent off to Guantanamo for the terroristic levels of deaths they're accountable for.

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ssj3vegeta posted...

Just turn da POS antivaxxers always, if dey don't believe in science den tell dem to go to church instead to get cured

Fucking THIS! It's beyond ridiculous that we're still letting them take up healthcare resources that could be used on accidents or unpreventable illnesses, all because they want to act like little children who are scared of a needle.

Honestly, it's about time we started talking about moving those who refuse vaccines into an isolated quarantine facility (at their cost) until such time as they take the damn shot. Enough's enough with letting them fuck things up for everyone else.

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RenescoStCewl posted...

At this point anti vaxxers shouldn't be getting hospital beds even if they are available.

Are we really not at this point yet cause this should have been a thing all along. Let them fend for themselves

fuck

I work at uva Med center MICU. We have 28 bed unit completely full. Had to open 9 beds in an imu dedicated for more icu patients. An entire new Healthcare team has been added to the unit lul

Every single patient is un-vaccinated and has covid

CableZL posted...

It really amazes me that so many people just don't give a fuck about this happening

I mean. I'm vaccinated and haven't gotten sick what do you want people like me to do lol.

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Perascamin posted...

I mean. I'm vaccinated and haven't gotten sick what do you want people like me to do lol.

Call your hospitals, representatives, etc and tell them to demand that vaccine refusers stop being given treatment when there are other people (non-covid-related) who need those resources more and haven't self-inflicted their problems.

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Perascamin posted...

I mean. I'm vaccinated and haven't gotten sick what do you want people like me to do lol.

Wear your mask and social distance. You can still get it and you can spread it to other people. Particularly the immune compromised..
And I do have a friend who got the vaccine and got covid months later. He was really sick for 2 days.

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Well if shit is really that bad then I guess our only option is to fire all unvaxxed healthcare workers and make hospitals even more short staffed than they already are

CableZL posted...

It really amazes me that so many people just don't give a fuck about this happening

Because the people gumming up the works come in two categories:

"It's the flu! Get over it!" until they get sick and die. At which point, they wish they had listened.

"It's the flu! Get over it!" until they get sick and die. At which point, the die as they lived -- being hateful and willfully ignorant.

thrashmetal14 posted...

Well if shit is really that bad then I guess our only option is to fire all unvaxxed healthcare workers and make hospitals even more short staffed than they already are

having more employees doesnt mean extra beds appear out of nowhere

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pinky0926 posted...

This situation is so out of control and yet half the country still thinks its a hoax. I don't know how we can resolve this.

At this point we should charge everyone who thinks it a hoax with murder and execute em all.

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DarkRoast posted...

This is the worst healthcare crisis I've ever experienced, by a huge margin.

Good thing its only from your initial birthdate up until whatever age you are now cause whew, boy let me tell ya if you only knew what was going on in the 1600s


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RedJackson posted...

Good thing its only from your initial birthdate up until whatever age you are now cause whew, boy let me tell ya if you only knew what was going on in the 1600s

What a great reference point that is huh

"Things are fine, comparative to the time that a mild case of smallpox could wipe out an entire village"

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RedJackson posted...

Good thing its only from your initial birthdate up until whatever age you are now cause whew, boy let me tell ya if you only knew what was going on in the 1600s

Why do you make such stupid posts

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What would you recommend is done to solve the problem TC?

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RedJackson posted...

Good thing its only from your initial birthdate up until whatever age you are now cause whew, boy let me tell ya if you only knew what was going on in the 1600s

"But smallpox was worse!"

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The supply chain is wrecked too, to the point where it's becoming difficult to care for the current patient population. I spend 90% of my day in meetings trying to figure out how to get basic supplies in. Needles, syringes, sharps containers, suction supplies. Backorders mixed with extra resources being used on assholes who want to pretend like this was no big deal. Every day I wake up and try to remind myself why I work in healthcare. It's starting to get difficult to hold onto those reasons.

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Valjackal posted...

The supply chain is wrecked too, to the point where it's becoming difficult to care for the current patient population. I spend 90% of my day in meetings trying to figure out how to get basic supplies in. Needles, syringes, sharps containers, suction supplies. Backorders mixed with extra resources being used on assholes who want to pretend like this was no big deal. Every day I wake up and try to remind myself why I work in healthcare. It's starting to get difficult to hold onto those reasons.

After my last few IV drips they ran out of bandages / gauze and had to use cotton balls and tape.

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I have a stupid uncle who swears that the current hospital crisis is being fabricated by doctors in order to bilk money from the government or some nonsense.

He's also getting fired from his job next month for refusing to vaccinate.


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RedJackson posted...

Good thing its only from your initial birthdate up until whatever age you are now cause whew, boy let me tell ya if you only knew what was going on in the 1600s

I'm sure you think you were being clever here but how about you fuck off?

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I quit emergency medicine as a career during the beginning of COVID knowing medical supply shortages like gloves and masks were just the tip of the iceberg for EMTs/Paramedics.

Sucks for everyone who stayed aboard hoping things would get better and I feel for them, but this whole situation is essentially a fight or flight matter, with "flight" meaning quitting obviously.

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Out of sight out of mind for the general populace.

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Jagr_68 posted...

I quit emergency medicine as a career during the beginning of COVID knowing medical supply shortages like gloves and masks were just the tip of the iceberg for EMTs/Paramedics.

Sucks for everyone who stayed aboard hoping things would get better and I feel for them, but this whole situation is essentially a fight or flight matter, with "flight" meaning quitting obviously.

I'd like to think I'll push through, and emerge from this crisis a better person.

I'm probably just fucking delusional though.

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But I was told we can't make people get vaccinated just because a few hospitals in one state are having a temporary bed shortage.

God, I am so fucking tired of this pandemic.
pinky0926 posted...

This situation is so out of control and yet half the country still thinks its a hoax. I don't know how we can resolve this.

No, now they don't think it's a hoax. Now they just think most of the hospitalizations are vaccinated people and that proves that nothing does anything. Therefore we need to get back to normal and... die? It's unclear.

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Highwind07 posted...

Not just the hospitals but the SNFs that I work at is also having beds full of admits from the hospitals and is ridiculously overflowing. They are like the "new" step down units now.

I had a SNF call me to inform me that they were starting a "ventilator ward."

Since I don't do ventilators at this hospital, it's a bit of a moot point for me, but that's scary to think about.


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iPhone_7 posted...

Out of sight out of mind for the general populace.

sadly true.

Would that you could take the deniers on a tour of the ICU wards and freezer trucks to see the horror first hand.

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Jagr_68 posted...

I quit emergency medicine as a career during the beginning of COVID knowing medical supply shortages like gloves and masks were just the tip of the iceberg for EMTs/Paramedics.

Sucks for everyone who stayed aboard hoping things would get better and I feel for them, but this whole situation is essentially a fight or flight matter, with "flight" meaning quitting obviously.

We are going to have a decades long Healthcare crisis because of Covid.

Porbably will be millions more avoidable deaths from poorer Healthcare access/quality (on top of the millions of avoidable deaths we already have from pur already poor access and quality) over the next decade or two.


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Mearcstapa posted...

sadly true.

Would that you could take the deniers on a tour of the ICU wards and freezer trucks to see the horror first hand.

If they still deny it shove em in a body bag and toss em in the freezer truck.

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The problem is that the people who deliberately dog whistled this, which gave the conspiracy theorists and antivaxxers fuel, will never be held accountable.





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Valjackal posted...

I'd like to think I'll push through, and emerge from this crisis a better person.

I'm probably just fucking delusional though.

Here's the thing though and what you're doing is extremely admirable and not nearly enough gratitude will be given to you for that, but eventually the time will come where you will have to think about you and ONLY you. You're not a bad person for walking away, especially under this crisis.

A huge proportion of people who went into med school are driven and motivated by making a difference and saving lives just as I was, but we've got to face facts once and for all, healthcare professionals should not be held to Superman and Goku savior standards while at the same time dismissed and ridiculed by anti-science/anti-vaxx jerkoffs.

At this point, the only way to flatten the curve again post-vaccine is to flat out deny service to those who refuse vaccine upon COVID-related visits. It's unethical, but these are strange times and those people brought this amongst themselves. And sadly yes, more people will die vaccinated or not.

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