Respiratory patients increased, many seriously ill people had to be on ventilators

In early November, when cold air comes in along with prolonged periods of wet rain, Hai Duong Lung Hospital enters the peak period of receiving respiratory patients.

Patient care at the Intensive Care Unit, Hai Duong Lung Hospital.

The number of people coming for medical examination has increased significantly, averaging more than 100 visits per day, an increase of about 20% compared to previous months. Notably, the number of seriously ill patients requiring hospitalization and ventilators is also increasing, causing the treatment departments to be constantly overloaded.

Master, Doctor Dang Thanh Xuan, Head of the Examination Department (Hai Duong Lung Hospital) said that respiratory diseases often increase seasonally, especially when the weather is cold and rainy. This year, the situation is similar, but there are more serious patients.

Patients who come to the clinic mainly have chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), bronchial asthma, pneumonia, tuberculosis, or coughing up blood. “Cold weather makes patients cough up more blood, especially the elderly and those with underlying diseases such as high blood pressure and diabetes. Just a change in weather or a flu virus infection can make a patient's condition worse very quickly,” said Dr. Xuan.

On this occasion, on average, the Examination Department receives over 100 people per day, an increase of about 20% compared to May, June and July.

One of the reasons why many cases become serious is self-treatment at home. Many people with symptoms of cough and mild fever often buy medicine or get IV at home. "By the time they don't get better and go to the hospital, it's already serious, and some people even
"Must be on a ventilator, treatment will be prolonged and cost many times more," Dr. Xuan warned.

At the Emergency Resuscitation Department, the working atmosphere is always tense. Specialist II Doctor Pham Luong Hien, Head of the Emergency Resuscitation Department, said that the department is treating 40 inpatients, of which 12 cases require ventilators, including 6 cases of invasive ventilators and 6 cases of non-invasive ventilators. “The number of seriously ill patients has increased significantly since the end of October. Those who have to be hospitalized are mainly due to acute pneumonia, pneumothorax, coughing up blood or respiratory failure in patients with end-stage cancer,” said Dr. Hien.

Among the group of patients requiring treatment at the Intensive Care Unit, about 60% of patients have complex underlying diseases such as high blood pressure, diabetes, stroke, and heart failure.

The bed occupancy rate at the Emergency Department has reached 120% at times, and is maintained at 80-90% on average. Despite facing many difficulties in terms of human resources and equipment, the medical staff still strives to provide patients with the best possible treatment conditions.

In the hospital room, Ms. Pham Thi Huong, daughter of Mr. Nguyen Xuan Trinh (82 years old, in Phuc Thanh commune) said: “This is the third time my father has been hospitalized here. He has chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, high blood pressure, diabetes, and this time he has acute respiratory failure and needs a ventilator. The doctors here are very dedicated, taking care of him day and night, with full medication. I have been to many places for care, but nowhere is as attentive as here.”

Not only focusing on treatment, Hai Duong Lung Hospital also promotes disease prevention and community health education . The hospital regularly organizes communication in departments, establishes asthma and COPD clubs, conducts respiratory disease screening in the community and shares disease prevention knowledge through online communication channels.

Doctors recommend that during the cold season, people should proactively keep their bodies warm, especially in the early morning and at night; maintain personal and oral hygiene; and limit going out in cold weather. In particular, they should proactively get vaccinated against flu, pneumococcus, COVID-19, whooping cough, RSV to prevent serious complications. When experiencing symptoms such as cough, phlegm, fever, shortness of breath, chest tightness, people should go to the doctor early for timely treatment to avoid the disease from progressing.

“The most important thing is that patients should not be subjective in self-treatment at home. Early detection and proper treatment from the beginning will help reduce costs, shorten hospital stays and protect lives,” Dr. Dang Thanh Xuan emphasized.

HAI HA

Source: https://baohaiphong.vn/benh-nhan-ho-hap-gia-tang-nhieu-nguoi-nang-phai-tho-may-526112.html