With intensive care units in Southern California hospitals nearly full due to the Covid-19 pandemic, the Los Angeles County Emergency Medical Services Agency (EMS) advised ambulance teams not to transport patients with little chance survival for hospitals and to conserve oxygen use.
Los Angeles and southern California are facing one of the worst outbreaks of the new coronavirus in the country. The ICU’s bed capacity dropped to 0% in southern California last month as more and more people were admitted to the hospital for treatment for Covid-19.
Now, many medical centers simply don’t have the space to receive patients who have no chance of survival, according to the agency.
As of Monday night, there were 7,544 people hospitalized in Los Angeles due to Covid-19 and only 17 adult ICU beds available, according to county health data. Due to the lack of beds, the county’s EMS said that patients whose hearts stopped, despite resuscitation efforts, should no longer be transported to hospitals.
If there are no signs of breathing or pulse, the EMS will continue to perform resuscitation for at least 20 minutes, said the EMS memo. If the patient is stabilized after the resuscitation period, he will be transported to a hospital. If the patient is declared dead on the spot or if no pulse can be restored, paramedics will no longer transport the body to the hospital.
Lack of oxygen: The lack of oxygen in Los Angeles and the neighboring San Joaquin Valley, thanks to Covid-19, is putting immense pressure on the system and forcing paramedics to conserve supplies.
In order to maintain normal blood circulation to the organs and tissues needed for the body to function, EMS said that an oxygen saturation of at least 90% will be sufficient.
California Governor Gavin Newsom formed a task force to address the issue last week. It is working with local and state partners to help replenish oxygen tanks and mobilize them for hospitals and facilities most in need.