The conversion of the Altamura Hospital was completed, the first 12 patients from the Covid Area healed and discharged. About a month after the start of hospitalization for patients suffering from Covid-19, the numbers confirm the effort put in place by the entire hospital in the action to combat the pandemic. 100 patients were hospitalized in almost thirty days in the 56 beds of the Covid Area, of which 16 in sub-intensive care, plus another 27 patients treated in intensive care, which went from 4 initial beds to 8. Furthermore, to strengthen the Pronto Rescue subjected to an increased request for assistance – 145 accesses in the last week, 774 in a month – a service area with 16 technical beds was set up, all dedicated to the brief intensive observation of Covid patients.
An extraordinary commitment, coinciding with the organizational, structural and logistical transformation of a hospital called first to strengthen the Covid-19 Regional Hospital Network, undergoing a profound process of reconversion and adaptation to address and manage Covid cases, from less serious ones to severe and severe ones.
«In Reanimation – explains dr. Domenico Milella, director of Anesthesia and Reanimation of “Perinei” – we treat patients with ages ranging from 51 to 83 years, with a higher incidence of over 70, especially men. Younger patients have overweight or arterial hypertension, in all the others there is obesity, diabetes and some more important heart disease “. A ward at the forefront, with patients who need high-intensity care: «There is the considerable commitment of all the staff – says Milella – doctors, nurses and support staff. We are also having the support of the operating room staff, who have made three additional beds available to treat as many patients, all young ”.
In Resuscitation there are also cases in the process of being resolved. As happened to the four patients discharged and transferred to Infectious Diseases, where they were entrusted to the care of Dr. Maria Federico, an infectious disease specialist who worked with her team on the organization of the Covid Area of the “Perinei” and now directs it.
Treating Covid cases means addressing the positivity of the virus in all its manifestations and with different types of patients. So here are the Covid births (4 in a month), the voluntary terminations of pregnancy, the surgical interventions, all managed thanks to dedicated paths, while the rest of the hospital continues to deal with non-Covid diseases. Without forgetting the listening service of the families of hospitalized positive patients who, in addition to the social workers already active, from 30 November will be enriched by the presence of a fundamental professional figure such as the psychologist. A useful support also for healthcare professionals.
«Our hospital – underlines Annalisa Altomare, of the Medical Direction – is working for two. On the one hand, the considerable Covid activity, on the other everything else, which is operating according to the regional provisions which provide for the guarantee of urgent and non-deferrable services ». In fact, the Day Service of Oncology, Otolaryngology (for oncological and outpatient services), Internal Medicine, Nephrology and Dialysis (also for Covid patients), General Surgery, Urology, Orthopedics and Traumatology, Neurology-Stroke Unit, Cardiology-Utic, are normally operational, Ophthalmology, Gynecology and Obstetrics, Pediatrics, Analysis Laboratory, Radiology and Immuno-transfusion Service. Operational units and personnel engaged on a daily basis in guaranteeing the best health care for the population.
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