The number of COVID-19 patients being cared for at The University of Kansas Health System is steady today. 15 patients are being treated for the virus, same as yesterday. 7 of those patients are in the ICU, same as yesterday. That’s still half the number of inpatients from just a few weeks ago. But doctors say they are preparing for a possible surge in patients from the impact of society beginning to reopen, and from this weekend’s Memorial Day observations. They caution everyone to continue following the same new rules of society that have brought us to this point.
Gary Gronseth, MD, Chair of Neurology and Colleen Lechtenberg, MD, neurologist joined the panel today to talk about neurological complications they’re seeing from COVID-19 patients.
According to Dr. Gronseth, the most common complication from the virus is stroke. He said they are seeing the expected number of strokes from those who experience inflammation from COVID-19. But he says what’s scary is they are seeing patients with only mild COVID-19 infections still getting strokes. He said there’s a strong link between strokes and COVID-19, and he discussed the use of aspirin and blood thinners in treating and preventing strokes.
Dr. Lechtenberg says they’re seeing a very disturbing trend of people experiencing mild to moderate strokes but delaying treatment out of fear of catching COVID-19. Then the problem becomes a lot more serious and harder to treat. She gave the recent example of a 17-year-old girl admitted to The University of Kansas Health System after waiting two days from her first symptoms. She stressed there’s no safer place to be than the hospital and says it’s critical a stroke patient get help within four and a half hours to be sure the best treatments such as clot-busting drugs and clot retrieval are effective. She also described the symptoms of a stroke and said the best way to tell if someone is having a stroke is to remember the acronym BeFast. B=balance loss, E=eyesight loss, F=facial drooping, A=arm weakness, S=speech difficulty, T=time to call 911. She says headaches are also a possible sign of a stroke.
Dana Hawkinson, MD, medical director of infection prevention and control at The University of Kansas Health System, said with Memorial Day weekend coming up, we can’t expect business as usual. He describes the usual outdoor BBQ’s and swimming as “super spreading events.” Those are events where larger numbers of people gather for extended times, and it may be difficult to observe our six feet distance and wear a mask. He also said between flying and driving, the car is probably a safer way to travel this weekend. He also answered questions about whether there are some people who may never get COVID-19 and whether it’s necessary to wear a mask if you’re riding your bike by yourself. He also reiterated the point that no patients inside The University of Kansas Health System have been infected by any staff member or vice versa.
Steve Stites, MD, chief medical officer at the health system, says this year’s holiday weekend will need to be different from most, but he says we need to keep things in perspective and there will be many more Memorial Day weekends. He says we have to remember sometimes it just takes time. We all want COVID-19 gone, and with patience, social responsibility and the promise of a vaccine as early as this fall, that will happen.
Friday, May 22 at 8:00 a.m. is the next daily briefing call. Topics include an urgent plea from the Community Blood Center for donations. Also joining the panel is Dr. Allen Greiner, Medical Officer for KCK Wyandotte County Unified Government to talk about the ReStart WYCO program and how it aligns with Governor Kelly’s Phase 2 reopening of society in Kansas. U.S. Senator Jerry Moran from Kansas also joins to talk about Memorial Day safety and his virtual plans. Next Friday Dr. Greiner and Senator Moran will talk about why COVID-19 is hitting some population groups harder than others and if legislative efforts can help.
ATTENTION media members- procedure for calling in:
The meeting is available by Zoom, both video and by phone. To join the Zoom Meeting by video, click https://kumc-ois.zoom.us/j/7828978628
Telephone dial-in Participants:
For those without Zoom, call 1-253-215-8782, meeting ID: 782 897 8628.
The feed is also available via TVU grid. The TVU source is UoK_Health and is being made available to all.
Feel free to send questions in advance to medicalnewsnetwork@kumc.edu.
