News from December 23, 2020
By Daniel-David Pirker
The collapse of intensive care in January? The head of the intensive care unit in the Hachenburg hospital warns of this horror scenario on Facebook. In the article, Dirk Lang offers worrying insights and thus makes the consequences of the corona pandemic tangible. The couriers talked to the insider about his report and appeal, which has now gone viral.
Hachenburg / region. These lines hit a nerve. In a Facebook post, Dirk Lang, the head of the intensive care unit in Hachenburg, delivered a worrying front report. Now a situation has arisen that was predictable: the clinics are at their limit. The intensive care units are particularly stressed, wrote Lang, who has worked there for 28 years. The ward manager is well connected to the hospitals in the Westerwald and the wider region such as Bonn and Koblenz, he explains to the couriers in an interview. His descriptions therefore not only illustrate the situation in the Westerwald. And don’t necessarily encourage relaxation:
The proportion of intensive care patients who are seriously ill with Covid-19 is increasing daily and the length of stay in the intensive care units can be several weeks, warned Lang on Facebook. The insider denounced the brutal revenge that we did not manage to have enough qualified staff. The care of corona patients is very complex, as the ward manager further illustrated. And in principle, a higher number of patients must be expected in the cold season, he adds to us.
In addition: Experience shows that staff are absent more often due to illness. The result: fewer carers would have to cope with the additional work. And that seems to be immense in the care of corona patients, as Dirk Lang explained on the Internet in a way that was understandable for laypeople. In addition, for example, the implementation of hygiene and protective measures.
Treatment of corona patients is also psychologically demanding
Dirk Lang tells us that the mood in the staff is still good despite the stress. But: Many are also exhausted. No wonder in view of the numerous overtime that the station manager talks about. The colleagues did a lot, many also jumped in at the weekend or for the night shift.
The situation is burdening him himself, says Dirk Lang. And that is not only due to the extensive protective clothing that he has to wear during his work. The treatment of corona patients also takes its psychological toll. The station manager tells us about people who are fighting against the greatest lack of air. Despite strained breathing, the oxygen supply in the blood dwindles. His team should have taken care of even some younger infected people under the age of 50.
Two to three of the six intensive care beds in the Hachenburg hospital have been occupied by corona patients for around three weeks. The isolation ward is always full, says Dirk Lang. The vaccine raises hopes, he wrote in his Facebook post, but: “It will take a long time before the clinics relax”. In an interview with the couriers, he speaks of months. A benefit will probably only become noticeable in the first quarter of next year.
The nursing crisis was hushed up for too long
After all, there is no “real drug” against Corona. The means used so far only alleviated the course of the disease, as Lang explains to us. He feels disappointed by politics in the post: ?? The problem cannot be solved now, the nursing emergency in Germany has been hushed up for too long. As recently as March, there were countless promises of the ?? systemically important ?? (an unspeakable term) to strengthen. Nothing has happened!??
His appeal to fellow citizens is all the more powerful: The known and relatively easy to implement measures must be followed in order to contain the infection process. ?? Perhaps you can help make things more relaxed in the next few weeks, thanks for that … ??, so the station manager’s final request, which he concretized towards us. It is essential to maintain intensive care and to avoid classifying patients according to the severity of their illness (triage).
According to Dirk Lang, the Facebook call has so far generated a lot of positive feedback. Under his contribution alone there are over 100 positive comments full of gratitude. One user wrote about:? Thank you! Hang in there and stay healthy! It is time that you were finally heard in all matters. (ddp)
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