Covid-19 diaries from the respiratory unit at St Bartholomew’s Hospital: Entry #1
In her first diary entry on Covid19, Dr Veronica White reflects on the ability of the respiratory unit to adapt very quickly to change and uncertainty.
What a difference four weeks makes. I completed a ‘normal’ stint as ward respiratory consultant on 13th floor respiratory wards at The Royal London Hospital a month ago and now both wards are full of patients with covid-19 pneumonia and are essentially Respiratory High Dependency units. These involve more complex oxygen delivery systems and increased levels of nursing and medical care.
The good news is that despite many people sadly dying from Covid-19 and large numbers of intensive care unit admissions, many patients are getting better and going home. Unsurprisingly they are incredibly grateful and relieved.
What is the main treatment for Covid-19? Well, it is high concentrations of oxygen until the viral pneumonia settles down, paracetamol for high temperatures and rest. Like any flu-like illness or pneumonia, people are going to feel pretty ‘rough’ for some weeks to months after, but should go home and rest, eat and drink normally and take gentle exercise once they feel able.
What has been very striking over the last few weeks is the ability of teams at all our hospital sites to adapt very quickly to change and uncertainty.
The sheer amount of organisation that has had to go into reorganising wards, sourcing equipment, adapting to wearing PPE (personal protective equipment) and scrubs, conference calls, rewriting rotas and producing a raft of clinical protocols has been phenomenal, as well as provide excellent care to patients.
Most of us have not managed to ‘switch off’ for one day, whether we are in the hospital or juggling with childcare and cooking dinner for our families.
Particularly over the last week, I have been overwhelmed by the hard work, enthusiasm and dedication of the all teams - nursing, domestic, administrative and junior medical staff – they have been an inspiration in moments of tiredness and frustration and kept me focused and on track.
Team Resp Med are going to try to update this blog on a regular basis and on a lighter note leave you with a recipe (we are a team of bakers!)
This week’s recipe here is from Dr Caoimhe NicFhogartaigh, ID consultant, who used overripe bananas left on the wards to make a weekend banana loaf for the exhausted, but hungry ward teams on a Sunday afternoon – Caoimhe says “Forget the dried banana!”
Take care and stay safe.
Love Team Resp xx
Dr Veronica White, Clinical Director, Respiratory Medicine