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) has ordered ambulance crews not to transport patients with little chance of survival in hospitals and who retain oxygen.
Los Angeles and Southern California are facing one of the worst outbreaks of the country’s new coronavirus. ICU bed capacity plummeted to 0% in Southern California last month as more and more people were admitted to hospital seeking treatment for Covid-19.
Now, many medical facilities simply do not have the space to accommodate patients who have no chance of survival, according to the agency.
On Monday evening, there were 7,544 people hospitalized in Los Angeles because of Covid-19 and only 17 beds available for adult ICUs, according to county health data. Due to the shortage of beds, the county EMS said patients with a stopped heart, despite resuscitation efforts, should no longer be transported to hospitals.
If there are no signs of breathing or pulse, EMS will continue to perform resuscitation for at least 20 minutes, according to the EMS note. If the patient stabilizes after the resuscitation period, the patient would be transported to a hospital. If the patient is declared dead at the scene or if the pulse cannot be recovered, paramedics will no longer transport the body to the hospital.
Oxygen shortage: Oxygen shortages in Los Angeles and the nearby San Joaquin Valley, thanks to Covid-19, put immense pressure on the system and force paramedics to maintain supply.
To maintain normal blood circulation to the organs and tissues needed for the body to function, EMS said an oxygen saturation of at least 90% will suffice.
California Gov. Gavin Newsom formed a working group to address the issue last week. Work with local and state partners to help fill oxygen tanks and mobilize them to hospitals and facilities that need them most.