Ontario hospitals asked to treat children 14 and up who need ICU
Posted November 3, 2022 9:15 am.
Last Updated November 3, 2022 6:14 pm.
The head of Ontario’s critical care COVID-19 command centre has asked the province’s hospitals that treat adults to accept children 14 and older in need of intensive care to relieve pressure on pediatric hospitals.
Dr. Andrew Baker says in a memo to hospital CEOs that surgeries may also need to be cancelled as a result.
Baker is also asking hospitals to maximize intensive care capacity to help relieve the burdens on emergency departments.
He says the moves are being made to deal with current and future surges at pediatric hospitals.
The request comes as hospital beds for sick children are in short supply as an early virus season is hitting hard and leading to an unprecedented surge in patients.
In addition to COVID-19 and flu season, a significant increase in a common illness known as respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) means longer wait times to see a doctor, and the problem is only expected to get worse as winter arrives with health experts fearing a “tripledemic.”
SickKids Hospital in Toronto has warned of longer wait times, and the Children’s Hospital of Eastern Ontario (CHEO) reported its busiest September on record this year.
There are 107 children in critical care across the province and only four with COVID-19.
The Minister of Health did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
