Right now, the one place many people do not want to be is a hospital. It typically can be a hotspot for germs. As the world deals with the COVID-19 pandemic, it is natural to want to limit contact with healthcare facilities. However, one local healthcare provider has raised a red flag regarding the possibility some are putting their lives at risk by not going to the hospital when medically necessary.
MedStar, a local ambulance service provider, stated their response volume is down 19% from January, and ambulance transports to the hospital are down 30%.
Their crews are concerned that some patients may be waiting too long to call, and even when they do, many patients are reluctant to go to the hospital out of fear of contracting coronavirus. They are also concerned because of the restricted visitor policies enacted by many hospitals to help flatten the curve of the coronavirus.
MedStar’s response statistics, and patient outcomes for cardiac arrest victims, patients whose heart stopped and required CPR on the scene, may reveal a concerning trend.
Responses in which a patient was found by MedStar crews to be in cardiac arrest were up 12% in March 2020 compared to March 2019. And, so far, in April 2020, MedStar crews responded to 38% more cardiac arrests than in April 2019.
The patients found to be in cardiac arrest, 54% more patients were pronounced dead on the scene by MedStar crews in April 2020, than in April 2019.
[…] First appeared on North Dallas Gazette […]