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Source: http://www.sltrib.com/news/ci_12565348
Valley ERs overrun with patients reporting flulike symptoms
Health ? H1N1 strain reports have people acting overly cautious.
By Heather May
The Salt Lake Tribune
Updated: 06/10/2009 09:23:55 PM MDT
Many Salt Lake County hospitals are being overrun by people reporting respiratory problems, including ones related to H1N1 swine flu.
That's prompting officials to urge people with only mild symptoms to stay home.
On Monday, the emergency room at Intermountain Medical Center in Murray was so busy it diverted ambulances to other hospitals. But not everyone showing up to the ER is sick: Some want antiviral drugs because they've been exposed to the flu. Some just want to be tested.
"Unless you're severely ill, don't seek care at an emergency department," said Ilene Risk, epidemiologist for the Salt Lake Valley Health Department. "Sometimes [ER patients] are not even ill [with the flu]. They've just been exposed. If they need antiviral medications they should work through their health-care provider."
There are legitimately severe cases of the new flu strain: As of Wednesday, 71 county residents have been hospitalized. While that's a big jump from the 33 cases reported last week, Risk said preliminary data show hospitalizations may be peaking.
But most people heading to the ER with flulike symptoms don't need to go. When they do, they risk infecting others or getting sicker.
Debra Wynkoop, director of health policy for the Utah Hospitals and Health Systems Association, said valley ERs are seeing 20 percent to 30 percent more patients.
"That's pretty significant," she said. "Every hospital in the valley is experiencing the same increase in patient load."
Jess Gomez, spokesman for Intermountain Medical Center, said the surge started about two weeks ago. On Monday, ambulances were sent elsewhere from noon to 10 p.m. but the hospital continued to take on trauma cases. The number of ER patients that day reached 288, compared to the average of 218, Gomez said.
In recent days, up to one-fifth of the patients have shown up reporting respiratory problems.
"A lot of the increase in the numbers we're seeing is because of these flulike symptoms," said David Barnes, chairman of Intermountain Medical Center's emergency department.
People hear about deaths related to the flu and think they need to be seen right away, he noted. "Most of the patients we don't treat anyway" because they have mild symptoms, he said. Even so, patients won't be turned away if they show up at the ER.
Doctors may also be sending their patients to hospitals to get tested for the flu, even though hospitals and health departments say they shouldn't.
Starting this week, the state public health lab is only confirming the flu among inpatient, hospitalized cases in order to conserve resources. That means the number of confirmed cases -- 713 statewide as of Monday -- should start to drop off but not necessarily because the flu has peaked.
Public health officials are more interested in tracking the severity of the disease instead of every patient who gets tested.
Risk said the Salt Lake Valley Health Department is tracking hospitalized patients' risk factors. Some 70 percent have an underlying condition, from having asthma or cardiovascular disease to being pregnant or under age 5.
Valley ERs overrun with patients reporting flulike symptoms
Health ? H1N1 strain reports have people acting overly cautious.
By Heather May
The Salt Lake Tribune
Updated: 06/10/2009 09:23:55 PM MDT
Many Salt Lake County hospitals are being overrun by people reporting respiratory problems, including ones related to H1N1 swine flu.
That's prompting officials to urge people with only mild symptoms to stay home.
On Monday, the emergency room at Intermountain Medical Center in Murray was so busy it diverted ambulances to other hospitals. But not everyone showing up to the ER is sick: Some want antiviral drugs because they've been exposed to the flu. Some just want to be tested.
"Unless you're severely ill, don't seek care at an emergency department," said Ilene Risk, epidemiologist for the Salt Lake Valley Health Department. "Sometimes [ER patients] are not even ill [with the flu]. They've just been exposed. If they need antiviral medications they should work through their health-care provider."
There are legitimately severe cases of the new flu strain: As of Wednesday, 71 county residents have been hospitalized. While that's a big jump from the 33 cases reported last week, Risk said preliminary data show hospitalizations may be peaking.
But most people heading to the ER with flulike symptoms don't need to go. When they do, they risk infecting others or getting sicker.
Debra Wynkoop, director of health policy for the Utah Hospitals and Health Systems Association, said valley ERs are seeing 20 percent to 30 percent more patients.
"That's pretty significant," she said. "Every hospital in the valley is experiencing the same increase in patient load."
Jess Gomez, spokesman for Intermountain Medical Center, said the surge started about two weeks ago. On Monday, ambulances were sent elsewhere from noon to 10 p.m. but the hospital continued to take on trauma cases. The number of ER patients that day reached 288, compared to the average of 218, Gomez said.
In recent days, up to one-fifth of the patients have shown up reporting respiratory problems.
"A lot of the increase in the numbers we're seeing is because of these flulike symptoms," said David Barnes, chairman of Intermountain Medical Center's emergency department.
People hear about deaths related to the flu and think they need to be seen right away, he noted. "Most of the patients we don't treat anyway" because they have mild symptoms, he said. Even so, patients won't be turned away if they show up at the ER.
Doctors may also be sending their patients to hospitals to get tested for the flu, even though hospitals and health departments say they shouldn't.
Starting this week, the state public health lab is only confirming the flu among inpatient, hospitalized cases in order to conserve resources. That means the number of confirmed cases -- 713 statewide as of Monday -- should start to drop off but not necessarily because the flu has peaked.
Public health officials are more interested in tracking the severity of the disease instead of every patient who gets tested.
Risk said the Salt Lake Valley Health Department is tracking hospitalized patients' risk factors. Some 70 percent have an underlying condition, from having asthma or cardiovascular disease to being pregnant or under age 5.