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I'm Married to an ER Doc in NYC

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Re: I'm Married to an ER Doc in NYC

#11

Post by screye »

klmadfejno wrote: post #2

The way things are described make the doctors sound powerless. I've been frustrated by the lack the information on the usefulness of hospitals. The impression I've gotten is that they cannot do much, and if they would go as far as intubation, you're highly likely to die even with intubation.

Yeah, the odds of death if you have to be put on a ventilator is 88%. It is similar to CPR, in that it works but statistically has a very low chance of success since it is only administered once the situation has deteriorated to near certain death.

Re: I'm Married to an ER Doc in NYC

#12

Post by throwawaylalala »

el_nahual wrote: post #9

> When Alex finally gets home, he takes his scrubs off outside our front door and stuffs them into a plastic bag that he ties off tightly. He takes his hospital clogs off and leaves them outside, along with his backpack and coat. Why do doctors and nurses walk around outside in their hospital scrubs? It was unsanitary even before COVID and I just don't get it. How hard can it be to change into street clothes before l…

It's actually not easy; not every place has facilities for that. Wife is a nurse, and we went through this discussion of the best process when she was an ICU nurse during the Ebola scare five years ago.

Remember too, sometimes folks are on the way to work in their scrubs, not necessarily leaving work.

Re: I'm Married to an ER Doc in NYC

#13

Post by joering2 »

dr_ wrote: post #3

Not an ER doc, but a doc in long term care facilities which have been hit particularly hard. Fortunately things have slowed down considerably now, but at its peak it was absolutely nerve racking. There’s an element to this pandemic which many people working in healthcare have felt. We see patients fall sick often, and we see them die often, although this was at an near overwhelming scale. But what we don’t see often…

> Fortunately things have slowed down considerably now,

I don't get that tho. Supposedly accordingly to all stats, its as bad as its been before. We have 800 to 1,000 death per day and are on record to hit 200k death by September. How come I heard that the pandemic has slowed down yet... according to numbers its been the same.

Re: I'm Married to an ER Doc in NYC

#14

Post by joshgel »

screye wrote: post #11
klmadfejno wrote: post #2

The way things are described make the doctors sound powerless. I've been frustrated by the lack the information on the usefulness of hospitals. The impression I've gotten is that they cannot do much, and if they would go as far as intubation, you're highly likely to die even with intubation.

Yeah, the odds of death if you have to be put on a ventilator is 88%. It is similar to CPR, in that it works but statistically has a very low chance of success since it is only administered once the situation has deteriorated to near certain death.

88% is definitely not true. That paper retracted that claim.

Re: I'm Married to an ER Doc in NYC

#15

Post by felipemnoa »

joering2 wrote: post #13
dr_ wrote: post #3

Not an ER doc, but a doc in long term care facilities which have been hit particularly hard. Fortunately things have slowed down considerably now, but at its peak it was absolutely nerve racking. There’s an element to this pandemic which many people working in healthcare have felt. We see patients fall sick often, and we see them die often, although this was at an near overwhelming scale. But what we don’t see often…

> Fortunately things have slowed down considerably now, I don't get that tho. Supposedly accordingly to all stats, its as bad as its been before. We have 800 to 1,000 death per day and are on record to hit 200k death by September. How come I heard that the pandemic has slowed down yet... according to numbers its been the same.

Slowed down in his region? It certainly has slowed down considerably in NYC.

Re: I'm Married to an ER Doc in NYC

#16

Post by el_nahual »

throwawaylalala wrote: post #12
el_nahual wrote: post #9

> When Alex finally gets home, he takes his scrubs off outside our front door and stuffs them into a plastic bag that he ties off tightly. He takes his hospital clogs off and leaves them outside, along with his backpack and coat. Why do doctors and nurses walk around outside in their hospital scrubs? It was unsanitary even before COVID and I just don't get it. How hard can it be to change into street clothes before l…

It's actually not easy; not every place has facilities for that. Wife is a nurse, and we went through this discussion of the best process when she was an ICU nurse during the Ebola scare five years ago. Remember too, sometimes folks are on the way to work in their scrubs, not necessarily leaving work.

What "facilities"? We're talking about changing clothes. Shower curtain ought to be enough! And the point about going to work in scrubs is also bad: scrubs should be as much about keeping stuff out of the hospital as in.

If a neighborhood yoga studio can provide a place to change, pretty sure any healthcare facility can too.

Re: I'm Married to an ER Doc in NYC

#17

Post by [deleted] »

joering2 wrote: post #13
dr_ wrote: post #3

Not an ER doc, but a doc in long term care facilities which have been hit particularly hard. Fortunately things have slowed down considerably now, but at its peak it was absolutely nerve racking. There’s an element to this pandemic which many people working in healthcare have felt. We see patients fall sick often, and we see them die often, although this was at an near overwhelming scale. But what we don’t see often…

> Fortunately things have slowed down considerably now, I don't get that tho. Supposedly accordingly to all stats, its as bad as its been before. We have 800 to 1,000 death per day and are on record to hit 200k death by September. How come I heard that the pandemic has slowed down yet... according to numbers its been the same.

[deleted]

Re: I'm Married to an ER Doc in NYC

#18

Post by fongitosous »

el_nahual wrote: post #9

> When Alex finally gets home, he takes his scrubs off outside our front door and stuffs them into a plastic bag that he ties off tightly. He takes his hospital clogs off and leaves them outside, along with his backpack and coat. Why do doctors and nurses walk around outside in their hospital scrubs? It was unsanitary even before COVID and I just don't get it. How hard can it be to change into street clothes before l…

most of them want to show to other people they are doctor.

Re: I'm Married to an ER Doc in NYC

#19

Post by flatline »

joering2 wrote: post #13
dr_ wrote: post #3

Not an ER doc, but a doc in long term care facilities which have been hit particularly hard. Fortunately things have slowed down considerably now, but at its peak it was absolutely nerve racking. There’s an element to this pandemic which many people working in healthcare have felt. We see patients fall sick often, and we see them die often, although this was at an near overwhelming scale. But what we don’t see often…

> Fortunately things have slowed down considerably now, I don't get that tho. Supposedly accordingly to all stats, its as bad as its been before. We have 800 to 1,000 death per day and are on record to hit 200k death by September. How come I heard that the pandemic has slowed down yet... according to numbers its been the same.

The number of daily cases nationwide, as well as the number of deaths, has been steadily dropping since the peak:

https://www.washingtonpost.com/graphics/2020/national/corona...

That being said we know practically nothing actionable about the spread of the disease, little more than we did when it started. Clearly the combination of masks and social distancing has slowed the spread but we don’t know how much good if any the masks really do, and we can’t never go outside again. It’s a waiting game, and a game of seeing just how much isolation we can collectively stomach. Unpleasant, and the end is certainly not yet in sight.

Re: I'm Married to an ER Doc in NYC

#20

Post by newacct583 »

joering2 wrote: post #13
dr_ wrote: post #3

Not an ER doc, but a doc in long term care facilities which have been hit particularly hard. Fortunately things have slowed down considerably now, but at its peak it was absolutely nerve racking. There’s an element to this pandemic which many people working in healthcare have felt. We see patients fall sick often, and we see them die often, although this was at an near overwhelming scale. But what we don’t see often…

> Fortunately things have slowed down considerably now, I don't get that tho. Supposedly accordingly to all stats, its as bad as its been before. We have 800 to 1,000 death per day and are on record to hit 200k death by September. How come I heard that the pandemic has slowed down yet... according to numbers its been the same.

It's not as bad as it's been. The US new case rate is down to about 65% of peak now. It's not dropping fast, but it's dropping.

But a medical professional's subjective experience is local, and the US is a big place. Some regions are still (sigh) growing, and are indeed "as bad as it's been". But New York is now recording new cases at less than 10% of its peak from April.

Broadly: much of the country, and all of the worst hit areas, have this beaten now, as long as we don't lose control when relaxing lockdown rules. That's good news.

And the areas that don't have it handled well are, at the very least, not growing in an out of control exponential mode. That's good news too.

Stay home. This is the home stretch.

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