Lower patient volumes at Children’s Hospital likely calm before expected storm, ER director says

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Patient volumes at Children’s Hospital have dropped below last month’s record-high levels, but the peak of flu season has yet to come, a member of the facility’s leadership team says.

Dr. Karen Gripp, emergency department medical director and section head at the Health Sciences Centre hospital, said admissions are still at the normal level and visits to the ER appear to be declining, at least temporarily.

“It’s not 100 per cent clear why we’ve seen somewhat lower patient volumes over the past week, but we expect this to be short-lived,” Gripp said. “We are just starting the winter season, which is when we see most viruses peak.”

On Monday, 161 children visited the emergency department, still a very high number, Gripp said. A record-high 201 patients visited the ER on Nov. 13.

About half of the children arrive with flu symptoms, and on Monday, 59 per cent of ER patients were assessed as being high acuity, meaning they were seriously ill. Only 14 of the 161 patients were admitted.

On Monday, there were 41 patients in the neonatal intensive-care unit and 13 in the pediatric ICU; baseline capacity is 50 and nine, respectively.

Over the past few months, 10 to 15 nurses have been moved to the children’s hospital to handle the surge. Gripp said she’s not aware of immediate additional staffing plans but says there are contingency plans that are flexible and can change daily.

“We’re not quite in the same place as some of the other hospitals in Canada,” she said, “And that’s a good thing.”

Discussions are ongoing about how other hospital units, including HSC’s adult ER, can help, she said.

“Again, it depends. This changes hour to hour, day to day, but a lot of things are in our back pocket.”

Amid continent-wide shortages of children’s over-the-counter medication such as Tylenol and Advil, the hospital is working with pharmacies to make sure they have adequate supply of antibiotics that are commonly prescribed to children. As well, Shared Health’s kidcaremb.ca website is expected to be updated with more information on how antibiotics can be properly dosed for children. Children’s formulations don’t last as long, and there’s typically limited supply during a viral surge, Gripp said.

Flu cases are still on the rise, but health officials haven’t yet seen any cases of the B strain of influenza, which tends to make kids even sicker, Gripp said.

Officials are advising adults and their children to get their annual vaccinations even if they’ve already had the flu this season.

Hospital staff are also seeing too many kids suffering from low blood sugar while they have flu symptoms, Gripp said, reminding parents that water isn’t enough to keep children hydrated. Apple juice, sports drinks, Pedialyte or popsicles made from any of those drinks would be a better choice, she said.

The number of young patients with respiratory syncytial virus appears to be declining. In November, 78 children were hospitalized with RSV, including 11 who needed intensive care. As of Monday, the hospital’s 27 patients with RSV were all babies and toddlers.

“We are cautiously hopeful when looking at the numbers that we will soon peak with RSV. That doesn’t mean we’re out of the woods though,” Gripp said.

katie.may@winnipegfreepress.com

Katie May
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Katie May is a general-assignment reporter for the Free Press.

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