He had already activated his White plan in November. Not because he was overwhelmed with new patients, but because he was unable to find them a bed in the downstream services – general medicine, intensive care, surgery…. Friday January 3, in the afternoon, the Vannes hospital retriggered the crisis system, this time, explains the management, to deal with a large influx of patients, who ultimately require hospitalization. . Thursday January 2, the emergency rooms took care of more than 200 patients, a very high attendance, but far from being unprecedented, especially during the holiday period. A context “worsened by a large number of elderly people and by ongoing epidemics of influenza and other respiratory viruses”, underlines the hospital management. To this must be added numerous exits from the Smur for accidents or cardiac arrests, for example.
Two hours waiting in the ambulance
“On Thursday, there were around ten ambulances and fire engines lining up to drop off patients. There was a two-hour wait, points out the CGT representative of the professional firefighters at Sdis 56. Before, we dropped off the patients and left, now we are asked to drop them off one by one.” The tension was such that the firefighters even proposed installing an advanced medical post tent in front of the emergency room, to speed up reception. An option ultimately ruled out. But, shortly before midnight, Sdis put a nursing firefighter and his light nursing vehicle on alert to take over from the Smur, if necessary. Inside, patients already admitted were massed on stretchers. Like the wife of Christian Guillou, who entered the emergency room on Thursday, at 5 a.m., for sciatica. Friday noon, she was still waiting for a neurosurgeon from Pontchaillou, in Rennes, to read her MRI and decide on further treatment. “The caregivers are competent, attentive, and manage the crisis as best they can. Hat ! », greets Christian Guillou.
Three intensive care patients transferred to Saint-Nazaire
“When we arrive in the morning, it’s full of people who have spent the night in the emergency room, on stretchers. They are registered as being hospitalized, but there are no beds in general medicine, surgery, or intensive care,” testifies Paul Robel, emergency doctor. So much so that three patients in intensive care had to be transferred to Saint-Nazaire, confirms the management of this hospital – because there was no place in Rennes or Nantes. This is also the primary benefit of this blank plan: to alert other hospitals likely to care for patients from Vannes. And warn city doctors and the general public, so that they avoid, as much as possible, a trip to the emergency room. For the moment, the hospital does not plan to recall caregivers from their days of rest, nor to cancel operations or other care.
France
Health
