LAST month Letterkenny University Hospital cancelled all non-essential elective surgeries to make space for patients with the Covid-19 coronavirus and ensure there are enough intensive care beds available.
However, it’s still business as usual for the surgical teams at LUH who continue to operate on cancer patients and medical emergencies.
Mr Manvydas Varzgalis is a Consultant Breast and General Surgeon at Letterkenny University Hospital. Speaking to the Donegal News yesterday he said he was afraid that some patients may be staying at home to long before coming to hospital.
“If they have appendicitis, for example, and wait too long at home it can lead to a perforation and they may then need major surgery. The message to the people of Donegal is that Covid is not affecting the management of emergency patients.
“Service are still running. I’m still doing urgent breast cancer clinics although they are now triaged a bit differently. Don’t ignore symptoms. If you’re in severe pain please present at the emergency department. I saw three patients this week and picked up two cancers,” he said.
“We want to see patients and arrange clinics. The hospital is still open. Non Covid patients have not been abandoned. All patients are equally important. Don’t be afraid to come to the hospital. We’re still using all the precautions to stop the prevention of the disease,” Mr Varzgalis added.
Work practices have changed quite a lot at Letterkenny University Hospital over the past month. The hospital is divided into two parts – one for patients with Covid or with symptoms and one for those who aren’t.
“All patients are swabbed when the come into the hospital and until such a time as we get results back we treat them as Covid positive.
“That means we have to wear full protective equipment while operating. There was a little bit of miscommunication these last few weeks that we don’t have enough supplies (PPE) but things became clearer last week and we do have masks, visors and gowns for use in theatre,” Mr Varzgalis said.
A native of Lithuania, the surgeon has spent the last decade working in the UK and Ireland – the last three years of which have been spent in Letterkenny.
“In a surgical sense it’s as quiet as it has been since I first arrived but it’s busy in a different way. We have to take a lot more precautions relating to Covid. We’re admitting fewer patients for investigations with less patients coming in to the Emergency Department. I’m afraid some may be staying at home too long before coming to hospital,” he said.
Similar sentiments were echoed by Mr Peter O’Rourke, Consultant Orthopaedic Surgeon, at LUH.
“It’s like waking up in the middle of a zombie apocalypse but until we get a vaccine, which is a while off, this is going to be our new normal.
“Ironically, we don’t have a shortage of beds in Letterkenny which is our usual gripe. There’s plenty of beds but many of the patients that are in hospital today require a different type of care,” Mr O’Rourke said.
Infectious disease experts say we may also see a second wave, though not as severe, this autumn or winter.
“It hasn’t reached its peak yet and even when it does we need to see a consistent drop for a week to ten days before we can start to relax,” he said.
While there have been 269 confirmed cases in Donegal, Mr O’Rourke said that we’re in a better place that those living in the US, UK, France and Spain.
“We’re doing okay. This whole thing will probably require a significant change in lifestyle from us all for a few years until we get a vaccine that works. The flu comes around every year and this has been the worst strain of it since 1918. It’s not the end of the world,” he said.
As a member of the Hospital’s management team, Mr O’Rourke reiterated Mr Varzgalis’ statement about PPE.
“We have an adequate supply for all staff regardless of what you might hear. They’ve all be given the appropriate gear for whatever work they’re doing. We’re coping with the challenges. I’m siting in on management meetings for up to four hours a day to make sure that staff have the best equipment and we’re working with management to protect patients and staff. It’s a case of so far, so good,” Mr O’Rourke said.
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