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I am getting asked a lot what it’s like working in Intensive Care at the moment. I think the best way to answer is with an overview of a recent shift.

It’s all a bit unsettling. We need extra staff on so I’ve been moved from days on to nights. [1/n]
We’ve moved handover to a bigger room in an attempt to try and stay a bit away from each other.

After handover it’s hard to differentiate the patients. They all have such similar stories...a few day history of cough and fevers. [2/n]
We have 1 bay of suspected Covid-19 cases and 2 bays of confirmed ones.

The ventilated patients become a bit static. It is several days before they can breathe strongly enough for themselves, with good enough oxygen levels, to be ready to come off the ventilator. [3/n]
But tonight I am dealing with referrals. The first night I got 2 Covid referrals, the second night was 4, and tonight I get 7.

Patients aged 16-90, a mix of very healthy individuals and some with comorbidity. It feels like there is a disproportionate number of asthmatics. [4/n]
Infection control is the absolute priority. That means we not only wear Personal Protective Equipment to protect ourselves, it also means visiting is tightly controlled. Most patients will have no visitors at all. [5/n]
One lady is not a suitable candidate for intensive care - her comorbidities and limited function mean she is unlikely to survive. Putting her on a ventilator would be futile and unfairly burdensome. She doesn’t seem surprised when I discuss this with her. [6/n]
She asks me to call her daughter but tell her she must not visit. She doesn’t want to give Covid-19 to her loved ones. I sit with her afterwards and hold her hand. She is dying. And she is totally alone. [7/n]
Two patients I see need admitting to intensive care - their blood oxygen levels are very low, and they’re needing high levels of oxygen. We admit them both. By the morning one of them is on a ventilator. [8/n]
It’s getting close to handover time. Another 2 referrals come in. Both sound like they don’t need intensive care just yet but probably will later in the day. The story is almost identical for both. [9/n]
I hand over and head home. I worry I might have forgotten to wash my hands before leaving the hospital.

They get an extra thorough wash when I get through the door. [10/n]
It’s noticeable how it’s getting busier.

Almost all the patients had symptoms for several days before they needed hospital and intensive care. [11/n]
That means if you are experiencing any symptoms, it is really important to self-isolate.

Everyone must distance themselves from others.

Please take this seriously.

What you do today will help us cope with what is coming in the next few weeks. [12/12]
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