4 ms·

The ICU beds are also taken by all the other sick people. Only a minority is actually free. And people don’t end up in the ICU because they panic: I spoke to se

by spac 7y ago

The ICU beds are also taken by all the other sick people. Only a minority is actually free. And people don’t end up in the ICU because they panic: I spoke to several Italian hospital doctors and they are overwhelmed by the troves of patients who can’t breathe.

toolz 7y ago
I just read an article that claimed Lombardy has 737 ICU beds available for covid 19. Given Italy has a 3.18 beds per 1000 people that means they have less than 3% of their hospital beds available for covid 19 patients. That's absurd. In relation the USA has roughly 14% of their beds as ICU beds according to a reference from https://www.sccm.org/Communications/Critical-Care-Statistics https://www.sccm.org/Communications/Critical-Care-Statistics
- creato 7y ago
  You seem to think that for some reason, ICU beds go unused except in a situation like this? ICU capacity is probably built to meet some fraction of demand in normal circumstances. Those beds weren't all unused before this outbreak started. 737 ICU beds available isn't the same as the total number of ICU beds. Normal health problems that need hospital treatment (strokes, heart attacks, car accidents, etc.) are still happening during this outbreak (well, car accidents are probably reduced now with Italy's lockdown protocols).
  - gpderetta 7y ago
    Someone else posted else thread that in UK at any time 80% of all ICU beds are in use. It is likely a similar percentage in Italy.
kaitai 7y ago
Right: we do have those ICU beds because people are in them. Toolz, I just don't understand your math. You seem to assume that a neonatal ICU bed is just as good for a 55-year-old man as an adult one, and that no one is going to have any other ICU-needing illnesses for the duration of this epidemic. That's quite puzzling. Can you support these ideas?

4 ms·

The ICU beds are also taken by all the other sick people. Only a minority is actually free. And people don’t end up in the ICU because they panic: I spoke to se

by spac 7y ago

toolz 7y ago
I just read an article that claimed Lombardy has 737 ICU beds available for covid 19. Given Italy has a 3.18 beds per 1000 people that means they have less than 3% of their hospital beds available for covid 19 patients. That's absurd. In relation the USA has roughly 14% of their beds as ICU beds according to a reference from https://www.sccm.org/Communications/Critical-Care-Statistics https://www.sccm.org/Communications/Critical-Care-Statistics
- creato 7y ago
  You seem to think that for some reason, ICU beds go unused except in a situation like this? ICU capacity is probably built to meet some fraction of demand in normal circumstances. Those beds weren't all unused before this outbreak started. 737 ICU beds available isn't the same as the total number of ICU beds. Normal health problems that need hospital treatment (strokes, heart attacks, car accidents, etc.) are still happening during this outbreak (well, car accidents are probably reduced now with Italy's lockdown protocols).
  - gpderetta 7y ago
    Someone else posted else thread that in UK at any time 80% of all ICU beds are in use. It is likely a similar percentage in Italy.
kaitai 7y ago
Right: we do have those ICU beds because people are in them. Toolz, I just don't understand your math. You seem to assume that a neonatal ICU bed is just as good for a 55-year-old man as an adult one, and that no one is going to have any other ICU-needing illnesses for the duration of this epidemic. That's quite puzzling. Can you support these ideas?