Pathfinder
Editor, Senior Moderator
Hospital Emergency Department prepared for Swine Flu
Updated: Sep 04, 2009 3:26 PM CDT
by Stephanie Bell Flynt -
JACKSON, MS (WLBT) -
Felicia Dishmon finds herself spending an entire morning in the emergency room at Baptist Medical Center after her one year old son, Courtavious Russell spikes a temperature of 104. "I'm in here praying now. I promise I am. I am hoping nothing major is going on because I know swine flu is going around. Even the flu period for babies is bad," Felicia said.
Children like little Courtavious are visiting ER physician Dr. Scott Johnson routinely now. "Most of what we're seeing are pediatric cases, high fever, 103, 104, upper respiratory infections, sinus congestion, cough, sore throats," Dr. Johnson said.
Baptist ER Nurse Manager Teresa Ellerbusch says isolation rooms are now set up to separate suspected Swine Flu cases from the other ER patients. "The public may not have known about this but we have heard about this for years. So we've been preparing, ordering supplies, getting our hospital and emergency department ready for about two years. We have masks at our door so if you have come in and have a cough or flu like symptoms we ask you to go ahead and mask. We have divided our waiting room into an area where people presenting with flu like symptoms we put on that side of the waiting room," Ellerbusch said.
Already the pandemic flu has patient numbers growing. "Even one week ago we were seeing 180 and now our volume has gone to almost 250 a day. I think we'll test our system because I think we'll see surges and just the shear volume of people presenting for treatment could really impact the emergency department and healthcare system," Ellerbusch said.
Like most patients who come in with fever and respiratory symptoms, Courtavious is tested for an "A" strain flu, which is the strain of swine flu. But there's a big problem. The test is not very accurate for picking up Swine Flu. "If we know the person had the flu and we tested them, we still only have about a 50 percent chance of picking it up. So it's about a coin toss. This child tested negative but you can't say for sure he doesn't have swine flu? Correct," Dr. Johnson said.
Fortunately, even though Courtavious is sick, Dr. Johnson has rules out any potential complications and releases him to the loving arms of his mother. "Mama know he doesn't feel good," Felicia said as she cradled Courtavious to take him home.
http://www.wlox.com/Global/story.asp?S=11043832
Updated: Sep 04, 2009 3:26 PM CDT
by Stephanie Bell Flynt -
JACKSON, MS (WLBT) -
Felicia Dishmon finds herself spending an entire morning in the emergency room at Baptist Medical Center after her one year old son, Courtavious Russell spikes a temperature of 104. "I'm in here praying now. I promise I am. I am hoping nothing major is going on because I know swine flu is going around. Even the flu period for babies is bad," Felicia said.
Children like little Courtavious are visiting ER physician Dr. Scott Johnson routinely now. "Most of what we're seeing are pediatric cases, high fever, 103, 104, upper respiratory infections, sinus congestion, cough, sore throats," Dr. Johnson said.
Baptist ER Nurse Manager Teresa Ellerbusch says isolation rooms are now set up to separate suspected Swine Flu cases from the other ER patients. "The public may not have known about this but we have heard about this for years. So we've been preparing, ordering supplies, getting our hospital and emergency department ready for about two years. We have masks at our door so if you have come in and have a cough or flu like symptoms we ask you to go ahead and mask. We have divided our waiting room into an area where people presenting with flu like symptoms we put on that side of the waiting room," Ellerbusch said.
Already the pandemic flu has patient numbers growing. "Even one week ago we were seeing 180 and now our volume has gone to almost 250 a day. I think we'll test our system because I think we'll see surges and just the shear volume of people presenting for treatment could really impact the emergency department and healthcare system," Ellerbusch said.
Like most patients who come in with fever and respiratory symptoms, Courtavious is tested for an "A" strain flu, which is the strain of swine flu. But there's a big problem. The test is not very accurate for picking up Swine Flu. "If we know the person had the flu and we tested them, we still only have about a 50 percent chance of picking it up. So it's about a coin toss. This child tested negative but you can't say for sure he doesn't have swine flu? Correct," Dr. Johnson said.
Fortunately, even though Courtavious is sick, Dr. Johnson has rules out any potential complications and releases him to the loving arms of his mother. "Mama know he doesn't feel good," Felicia said as she cradled Courtavious to take him home.
http://www.wlox.com/Global/story.asp?S=11043832