Region's backlog of surgeries has hit record high, says chief of staff at The Ottawa Hospital
Over 18,000 patients are waiting for surgeries in the region — the biggest backlog ever, The Ottawa Hospital's chief of staff says as she and her counterparts issue pleas for residents to comply with stayat-home orders.
There are patients of surgeons in all specialties waiting in the region, which stretches from Pembroke to Cornwall, Dr. Virginia Roth said.
While emergency surgeries have always been done in a timely manner, after the pandemic hit last spring, hospitals were told to postpone certain procedures.
The hospitals' ability to make up this ground is in the control of all residents who adhere to the stayat-home order, said a statement signed by senior medical officers at CHEO, The Ottawa Hospital, Montfort Hospital, The Queensway Carleton Hospital, The Royal and the University of Ottawa Heart Institute.
“We can do this, Ottawa. We've done it before — like after Thanksgiving, when we brought case numbers back into the double digits — and we are beginning to make progress again.”
The point of the statement is to make sure the region's hospitals don't have to push the “park button” on surgeries if they become overwhelmed with COVID patients, Roth said.
If COVID cases rise too high, there's a risk that intensive care units will begin to reach capacity, which would put post-surgical care in jeopardy.
Hospitals are going ahead with surgeries, diagnostic procedures and in-person specialty care appointments, while continuing with virtual care first, whenever possible.
Hospitals are working very hard not to postpone surgeries, Roth said.
“We're working at 100 per cent of pre-COVID volumes. Sometimes higher. We're doing as much or more surgery than we did before.”
Hospitals are also working to clear the backlog by making the system more flexible. For example, some patients are being asked to have their surgery in different hospitals than originally planned, Roth said.
Some people may have postponed seeing doctors or getting diagnostic procedures earlier in the pandemic and may need surgery. At this point, it's impossible to tell how large the “invisible backlog” might be, she said.
The statement asks residents to adhere to provincial public health restrictions and stay home except for essential reasons — reasons that include seeking medical care, essential work, groceries and exercise.
“We want our teams to continue delivering in-person care, whether that's surgeries, diagnostic tests or specialist appointments.”
The end is in sight, Roth said. “We can actually see the finish line. Vaccines are coming online. Your decision to stay at home and limit physical contact is a show of support for front-line staff.”
On Friday, Ottawa Public Health reported 36 patients in hospital, six of them in ICU, as of Thursday. Ontario reported 1,512 patients in hospital, with 383 in ICU and 291 requiring ventilators.
Meanwhile, Ottawa Public Health posted a “real world contact tracing ” example illustrating how easily the virus can spread when people don't heed health orders.
The agency traced a single infected person who went to work before developing symptoms. Two days later, after mild symptoms appeared, the person attended an indoor family gathering with four separate households to celebrate and share a meal. There was no physical distancing and no one wore a mask.
“Within two weeks, this resulted in 15 individuals testing positive for COVID-19 and 40 individuals who were high-risk contacts and (ordered) to self-isolate,” Ottawa Public Health said.
“We're naturally more relaxed around people we're close to, but this cluster is a reminder that COVID doesn't care how well we know someone.
“Whether around coworkers we've known for years, friends or family members, we must remain vigilant.”