Oxygen pressure low for Covid-19 patients in OGH

The augmentation of beds to admit Covid-19 suspect patients at Osmania General Hospital, has led to a piquant situation where the hospital authorities and doctors are struggling to make ends meet — with respect to ensuring oxygen at the levels required by the patients. Doctors are using bulk oxygen cylinders to make up for supply where the existing lines are not able to cope with the requirement.

“The challenge has arisen because the hospital added 100 oxygen beds for Covid-19 suspect patients, in addition to what the system is designed to cope with under normal circumstances,” said Dr Pandu Naik, who was incharge of the hospital in the absence of its fulltime superintendent who was away from work after contracting Covid19 and returned on Saturday. Dr Naik said there was no need for any fear on the oxygen supply front for the patients.

“The oxygen situation leaves much to be desired. We are struggling to keep the patients going with the very low pressures that are available through the pipelines,” a doctor at the hospital said. “The best we are able to do in most cases is making available four to six litres of oxygen per minute for most of the patients in the Covid-19 wards. Some of them with really low oxygen levels require 12 to 14 litres per minute,” the doctor said.

Most of those getting admitted at OGH as Covid-19 suspect patients are experiencing blood oxygen saturation (SpO2) levels of 40, 50, 60 and 70, it is learnt. The minimum SpO2 levels should be 95, which indicates good lung function.

“With nearly everyone on supplementary oxygen, we are unable to maintain these pressures. Several of the patients are aged, with serious co-morbidities and we are losing some of them,” the doctor said.

It was learnt that the hospital had just three Continuous Positive Air Pressure machines in the Covid-19 wards, which the doctors say are not enough. Also, a doctor said, “we just have two nurses on duty in each shift for all of the patients. We need one nurse for every four patients but the contract nursing staff have been on strike.”

Dr Naik said that work was on to increase the diameter of the oxygen supply pipes in the Covid-19 wards and that the issue was taken to the notice of the Director of Medical Education and the state government.