JOHN TRINDER'S WEEKLY ICU UPDATE 4.1.2021

 

John Trinder's Weekly update on ICU bed status in NI. 

 

There are currently 87 patients in ICUs across Northern Ireland, compared to 80 last week and obviously still exceeding the usual maximum capacity we can sustainably deliver of 72.

Of these 87, 42 are COVID-19 (a 24% increase from 34 last week).

 

So our ICUs continue to be over capacity. At a time of the year when we are used to running at or near full capacity of the 72 longterm funded beds (i.e. staffed ICU beds) across Northern Ireland, we now have 42 beds occupied by just one disease which wasn't around in previous years. It's therefore hardly surprising that we have over-run our beds staffed with trained ICU nurses (see my earlier posts highlighting just what responsibility and activities ICU nurses deliver), that hospitals are struggling, and that hospital staff have been urging adherence to public health measures to avoid that single disease increasing further than necessary and forcing uncomfortable choices (beyond our usual triage) with what and whom to prioritise.

 

The graph attached shows the situation across all wards in Northern Ireland, not just ICU beds. A proportion of ward admissions continuously translates into ICU admissions after some time in hospital. ICUs take the sickest patients with a reasonable prospect of survival following intensive care. Of the COVID-19 hospital inpatients in Northern Ireland as of last night, the biggest age group is 80 and over (193 inpatients); however 43 inpatients are aged 50-59, 107 are aged 60-69, 20 are aged 40-49, and 11 are aged 20-39 years old.

 

As you can see, the second wave of hospital admissions in Northern Ireland didn't return to baseline in the way that the first did, so the prospect of a third wave hitting whilst the second is still putting so much strain on services is particularly concerning.

 

Please continue to follow public health guidance and when you get a chance to get vaccinated (in the absence of contra-indication), take it. It is the way out of this dystopian nightmare we're all experiencing.