SVMC expands ICU capability to deal with COVID-19
Sierra View Medical Center has been continually reestructuring its intensive care unit to deal with the COVID-19 pandemic.
Among the steps taken by Sierra View is developing a designated COVID-19 specific ICU. This was essential to eliminate the potential of infecting ICU patients who haven’t tested positive for the coronavirus.
The ICU team worked with other teams at Sierra View to ensure the ICU was prepared to respond to COVID-19 related needs for the hospital’s patients.
“We had to create a plan that included a framework to expand staffing schedules, utilize detailed protocols for infection prevention, and work closely with our highly skilled intensivists. This included an around the clock clinical response to quickly deteriorating patients, accessing research trials for patients with COVID-19, ensuring adequate personal protection equipment (PPE) supplies and training, prioritizing diagnostic lab testing and forecasting demand,” said Dr. Kris Reddell, Director of Critical Care Services.
One of the ICU’S first tasks upon creating a high level plan was to manage an anticipated surge of COVID-19 patients while ensuring there was adequate staffing.
“Based on results from other countries and from our own model, it necessitated operational maneuvers to increase the intensive care unit capacity for more patients with higher acuity needs such as specialized mechanical ventilation and special isolation requirements,” Dr. Kris Reddell said.
SVMC created two separate ICU units to manage the care of COVID-19 and NON-COVID-19 patients. This step was taken to prevent cross contamination from one area to the other. The primary or existing ICU became the
Alpha ICU and managed all COVID-19 critically ill patients. A secondary ICU named Beta ICU was created and placed a far distance from the COVID-19 ICU to continue caring for NON-COVID-19 patients. Placing the two ICUS far apart has allowed Sierra View to keep proper distancing when it comes to equipment and staff while ensuring a more effective containment. In addition, special equipment called high-efficiency particulate air (HEPA) filtered forced air machines are being used to generate a negative pressure environment in all positive COVID-19 patient rooms to maximize strict infection control measures.
“This process expanded our Current ICU patient abilities from 10 to 18 patients over the course of one day. Plans were in place working with another department to expand to 8 more ICU beds if necessary for positive COVID-19 patients, for a total of 26 ICU beds,” Reddell said.
Other measures including adjusting the uses of equipment such as beds, operating room ventilators, and portable patient monitoring devices. Adjusting equipment uses has also been important in adequately preparing to care for a possible surge in patients in a safe manner.
As a result of the restructure of the ICU and quick response to adapting to rapidly changing protocols and guidelines, Sierra View has been able to continue to the community’s healthcare needs, hospital staff stated.
Sierra View staff also say they’ve been able to implement multiple changes in isolation protocols, infection control needs, and have been able to meet the increasing need for additional supplies, effective communication, and additional space.