COVID cases highlight the oxygen supply of South Florida hospitals

MIAMI – The increase in COVID hospitalizations driven by the Delta variant is putting pressure on both oxygen production and distribution, according to the Florida Hospital Association. To treat the new wave of COVID patients, some hospitals have to use three or four times the amount of oxygen they would normally use.

Mary Mayhew, president of the Florida Hospital Association, said Florida was one of the first states to experience the Delta variant and the increase in associated COVID hospitalizations. He said many hospitals had been assigned, meaning suppliers did not fill the tanks and some had less than 48 hours of oxygen on site.

“There is a shortage or a challenge to distribute supply, which is the result of fewer drivers, due to global demand, but there is also demand at the regional and national level as COVID cases increase. and hospitalizations in other states are increasing, “Mayhew said, adding” It was very bad last week. “

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Mayhew said hospitals were starting to see more timely oxygen deliveries this week and the situation has improved slightly in recent days. Hospitalizations for COVID were just over 15,400 earlier this week and more than a week ago there were 17,000.

“Suppliers have brought additional drivers to the state. They have diverted trucks to Florida to meet demand here, all of which has helped improve the situation and specifically improve the timeliness of deliveries, ”Mayhew said.

There were fears that Hurricane Ida would disrupt supplies to Florida from a Louisiana plant, but as of Tuesday it was not a concern. Mayhew said the floods could still be a disruption, but hospital administrators are doing everything they can to ensure an adequate oxygen supply.

“They are also managing, as appropriate, the use of oxygen. As they remove individuals from the ventilators, they ensure that clinical and timely support is provided. All these efforts to ensure that we have an adequate supply of oxygen and that includes sensitizing state officials, federal officials, ”Mayhew said.

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In the United States, the Food and Drug Administration regulates medical gases as pharmaceuticals. Premier Inc., a North Carolina-based hospital supply company, reported notification to the White House, Federal Emergency Management Agency and Health and Human Services about the shortage of region. FEMA formed a working group to find solutions.

“Speed ​​is key, as concerns about oxygen can shift from a regional issue to a national issue given the course of the last wave if not addressed now,” said Amanda Forster, vice president of public relations of the Prime Minister.

Forster said there were hospitals in South Florida with an oxygen supply of only 12 to 24 hours. Some had compressed liquid oxygen tanks, compressed gas cylinders, oxygen concentrators, or in situ pressure oscillation adsorption plants. There are COVID-19 patients who require routine oxygen therapy at home.

Dr. Fernando Bayron, chief of staff at Florida Medical Center, said there is a shortage of high-flow oxygen therapy, which has become the first mode of support for home use.

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“The cascading effect of this is that these patients stay in the hospital longer because we can’t arrange for them to get oxygen to go home, so it complicates the problem we have with the availability of beds,” he said. Bayron.

Another shortage

Dr. Ralph Zagha, chairman of the Board of Trustees of the Broward County Medical Association, said there are also concerns about not having enough refrigerated trailers and mortuary refrigerators to contain the bodies of patients who will die of COVID.

“We have the load of deaths and each hospital has its own morgue capacity,” Zagha ​​said.

Most patients hospitalized with COVID-19 in South Florida are under the age of 65 and are not vaccinated. Zagha ​​said unvaccinated people die and much of the suffering can be prevented with the vaccine.

“The issues are multifactorial: it can be cultural, it can be political, and it’s just a matter of everyone getting the same message,” Zhaga said. “Please get vaccinated!”

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Related statement

Here is the full statement that Premier Inc. posted on Tuesday:

COVID-19 treatment protocols have changed and good practice is moving away from the use of ventilators as a first choice for critically ill patients, in favor of high oxygen flow. As a result, oxygen demand increases 2-3 times and grows as COVID-19 case loads increase.

Hospitals in the Southeast, including those in South Florida, have run out of oxygen, with the hardest hit with just 12 to 24 hours of supply. We have recently been hearing that as the COVID-19 census is reduced, there is a corresponding decrease in oxygen.

Fortunately, hospitals in the wake of Hurricane Ida managed to fill the tanks with oxygen before the storm arrived. However, we are still dealing with storm assessments, evacuations and road closures, so we continue to see this situation very closely.

The Prime Minister has notified the White House, the Federal Emergency Management Agency and the Department of Health and Human Services about the oxygen shortage in the region, as well as the implications at the national level, given the current increase in COVID cases. FEMA has formed an “oxygen working group” / working group, which is a positive development. However, speed is key, as concerns about oxygen can shift from a regional problem to a national problem, given the course of the latest wave if not addressed now.

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– Amanda Forster, Vice President of Public Relations of the Prime Minister

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