26.04.2020 07:10
14.632
The everyday life of a doctor at the Corona ward
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By Uwe Blümel
Dresden – The internist Dr. Julia Fantana (39) actually treats emergencies such as inflammation of the lungs, pancreas and biliary tract or bleeding from the stomach. Until March 9th. For six weeks she has been working as a doctor in the converted corona emergency room in building 27 of the Dresden University Hospital.
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“Covid-19 remains a dangerous disease that can be fatal”: Dr. Julia Fantana (38) stands in front of the corona emergency room with her own-sewn face mask. The fabric mask must now be worn on the entire hospital premises. © Holm Helis
“First we carried out SARS-CoV-2 tests in the Corona outpatient clinic – on some days between 8 a.m. and 4 p.m. up to 300 throat swabs,” she says.
“Then I diagnosed the first Covid 19 diseases in the emergency room. The patients suffered from shortness of breath, dry cough, body aches and sometimes a high fever of over 39 degrees.”
Many just came from Italy or Ischgl from their skiing vacation. ”
When the pictures with the coffins came from Bergamo, everyone was worried about Italian conditions in the emergency room – too few intensive care beds, too few ventilation places, too little staff. “
The clinic management made the corona crisis a top priority. She reserved one of the two clinic emergency rooms exclusively for suspected corona cases, drew dermatologists, urologists, surgeons and nurses from other clinics and canceled operations that could be postponed.
If the patient is short of breath and the test is positive, the patient will only be contacted by Dr. Fantana monitors. If their condition is stable, they are transferred to Clinic House 81, where formerly acute geriatrics (geriatric medicine) was housed and treatments were carried out on the diabetic foot. Two floors were cleared there and reserved exclusively for Covid 19 patients.
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Anyone entering the hospital room must wear full protective equipment
Stricter safety conditions: Dr. only with such protective equipment and the personal FFP2 mask Fantana enters the isolated hospital room of Covid 19 patients. © private / 123RF
At the corona emergency room, Dr. Fantana’s patient visits. “Anyone who goes into a Corona patient’s hospital must put on full protective equipment consisting of an FFP2 mask, safety glasses, gowns and gloves.”
“In order not to have to change constantly, you should think carefully about what you have to take with you to the hospital room.” To save protective material, only a doctor goes to the hospital bed for a visit.
The rare FFP2 protective masks are sterilized daily and reused up to five times. “Everyone uses their own again and again, I use the one with my initials JF,” says Julia Fantana.
In the Corona ward, the patients are completely isolated in single rooms. “Because visits to the sick were also prohibited, we set up WLAN networks in the wards so that patients and their relatives can skype,” says Dr. Fantana.
Isolated, lonely and aware that there are no approved medicines for the new disease, many are plagued by fears of death. “Some just want to talk to someone. You have to allow emotions and encourage them again and again,” says the doctor.
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The treatment is not always successful
“Stay at home”: The entire infectious emergency team asked the population to stay better at home. © private
Once she was able to put two patients together when her test results were available. Both were positive.
“Because of the loneliness and the uncertainty, they had almost lost their courage, but were then able to motivate themselves during breathing training.”
Or she exercises with patients to lie on their stomach from time to time so that the lungs are evenly ventilated.
“The initial restrictions were bitter, but necessary. Because Covid-19 can be fatal, sometimes requires artificial respiration. And it is not only the elderly who have previous illnesses,” says the specialist.
“My youngest, seriously affected patient was only in her forties and actually fit, only needed one blood pressure tablet a day.” He could be saved.
But the treatment is not always successful. Patients from nursing homes and most recently two men (48 and 64 years old) died in the Corona ward. An over 90-year-old woman did not want to suffer, refused to take any measures to prolong her life. “An end-of-life care then lasts between twelve and 24 hours.”
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View of the screened corona intensive care unit in the Dresden University Hospital. Five corona patients are currently being treated here. © dpa / Sebastian Kahnert
Arrival in the Learjet at Dresden Airport: Because there were enough intensive care beds available, Covid-19 patients from the French department of Grand Est were admitted on April 3. © imago images / Max Stein
Ultimate rescue ventilation: A patient with Covid-19 is lying in the foreground in an intensive care room using a ventilator and a dialysis machine. © dpa / Peter Kneffel
Rapid tests bring clarity: SARS-CoV-2 test results are available in the Corona emergency room within four hours. © 123RF
The staff feels safe, do not fear infection
The quick response of the clinic management to strictly separate the corona patient areas and the stricter hygiene regulations paid off. “The staff feels safe and are not afraid of infection.” The security concept worked. “To date, not a single doctor in our ward has contracted the coronavirus.”
Dr. Fantana itself can be tested once a week. The case numbers have not exploded. The curve has flattened out. The internist gives hope: “The clinic has enough ventilation capacity to accommodate even patients from Europe. We are well prepared if the virus breaks out in a nursing home now.”
The bare numbers confirm the relaxed situation. “We are currently treating five Covid-19 patients in the intensive care unit,” says University Hospital spokesman Holger Ostermeyer (58). “There is no corona patient in the ward, only five suspected cases.”
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Title photo: Holm Helis
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