The number of COVID-19 patients at The University of Kansas Health System is steady today. Although the count briefly reached 24 at one point overnight, it’s at 22 today, down from 23 yesterday. 9 patients are being treated in the ICU, up from 7 yesterday, with six on ventilators, same as yesterday. Doctors say the focus should be on the fact that we’ve had several discharges since yesterday, but just as many, if not more, admissions. Two weeks ago, the hospital had 9 or 10 patients. One troubling trend is the number of patients in their 20’s. One of those is on a ventilator.
Dawood Sayed, MD, President of the American Society of Pain and Neurosciences joined the panel to talk about a survey regarding opioid use during this pandemic and whether postponing surgeries and procedures has had a negative impact. Chair of Orthopedic Surgery and Sports Medicine Bruce Toby, MD, discussed getting patients back to surgery to help with their pain and alternatives to opioids.
Dr. Toby reports orthopedic surgeries are back, after shutting down 90 percent of procedures at the beginning of the outbreak. He says though some surgeries were classified as elective, the wait has been difficult for patients with chronic pain. He assures everyone the operating rooms and clinics are very safe and outlined some of the specific processes in the operating rooms which have changed. He also says clinic hours have been extended until 7 p.m. to help deal with the pent-up demand from patients. He’s glad to see youth sports resuming, and feels they’ll be safe as long as everyone involved abides by the proper health rules. He explains exercise and fitness, especially outdoors, are great ways to cope with COVID-19. He also says even though the Royals will play ball this summer, it’s going to look a lot different, especially for fans…if they’re allowed in the stadium at all.
Dr. Sayed says the pandemic has created a dilemma for pain patients, because the country is also in the midst of an opioid epidemic. He says even though there are many alternatives to opioids for pain, many patients couldn’t come to the clinic, so doctors had to resume opioid management. But he says that’s getting better, now that clinics are reopening, and the patient volumes are back. He stresses clinics are extremely safe, especially now that patients can skip the waiting room. He thinks that may be the future of office visits, even after the pandemic is over. Doctors and nurses, he says, are learning to provide medical care with a hyper-vigilant focus on infection prevention and control making us safer.
Dana Hawkinson, MD, medical director of infection prevention and control at The University of Kansas Health System, joined the morning briefing live from his vacation. He answered the question of what’s in the spray bottle he’s been using on his trip to keep things sanitized. He says it’s the product of a local distillery that’s making liquid hand sanitizer in addition to vodka. He finds the spray more useful than the gel but says both are equally as effective as long as you use something. He had an update on current therapies for COVID-19, and says a vaccine is still a way off. He also advises being extremely careful about youth drama practice, as the virus is still all around us. He also advised one viewer against a bus tour for seniors, calling it “very dangerous.” As for going to stores and restaurants, he strongly suggests going where there’s a good “mask culture.”
Steve Stites, MD, chief medical officer at The University of Kansas Health System, says even with masks, we’re not as safe in a store as we are in the hospital. He says despite the rising trend in COVID-19 patients, The University of Kansas Health System has no plans to postpone surgeries because “We’re in a different place today than when it all started.” To those afraid to go “where all the COVID-19 patients are,” Dr. Stites says they are kept isolated, and there’s no danger of becoming infected. He believes personal responsibility, especially among younger people, will be the key to keeping the virus under control.
Friday June 26 at 8:00 a.m. is the next daily briefing call. We get a lot of unanswered questions throughout the week. Doctors will tackle these questions and remind folks how to maintain the pillars of infection prevention and control. We’ll also have an update from the Community Blood Center.
ATTENTION: media 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.