24°c Partly cloudy
18°c Cloudy periods
Winnipeg Free Press - PRINT EDITION
Flu outbreak hits surgeries
Non-critical operations cancelled
Dozens of surgeries were cancelled this week as flu patients started to fill up recovery wards. (JOE BRYKSA / WINNIPEG FREE PRESS ARCHIVES ) Photo Store
Winnipeg hospitals had to cancel dozens of surgeries this week because the influenza outbreak forced officials to place non-surgery patients on surgical wards.
As of Friday, 55 procedures -- all of them non-urgent -- had to be put off. The good news, though, is the current flu wave may have already peaked.
Dr. Brock Wright, chief medical officer for the Winnipeg Regional Health Authority, said Friday the number of cancelled surgeries would have been even higher if hospital officials had not taken extraordinary measures.
They deployed 57 temporary beds -- about three dozen more than normal. And where possible, patients came in for day surgery, where they might normally have been kept overnight.
Surgeries have been cancelled as 77 surgical recovery beds are currently occupied by non-surgery patients.
"It (the influenza outbreak) continues to cause increasing pressure on the hospital system," Wright said.
But there were signs late this week those pressures were starting to ease.
On Thursday, Winnipeg hospital emergency rooms (excluding the one at Children's Hospital at Health Sciences Centre) received 566 visitors. That's in line with ER traffic during October and November -- and far lower than the 800 to nearly 1,000 daily visits recorded in recent weeks.
Dr. Tim Hilderman, medical lead for communicable disease control with Manitoba Health, said the number of lab-confirmed flu cases fell this week in the city and across the province. That suggests the current wave of the flu may be slightly past its peak.
But he said it doesn't mean the flu season is over -- further waves are possible -- or that the current one has lost its punch. "If it has peaked, we would still expect in this wave several more weeks of activity, but at a lower level," Hilderman said Friday.
Last week, Winnipeg's two main hospitals restricted visitors in children's units for the first time since the H1N1 outbreak in 2009. Those restrictions remain in effect, and there's no indication yet when they will be lifted.
Only parents may visit patients in all wards of Children's Hospital.
The same rule is in effect at St. Boniface General Hospital's neonatal intensive care unit.
The measures are being taken to reduce the risk of more infants being exposed to respiratory infections.
Wright said the temporary beds deployed during the flu outbreak are located in spaces that had been out of service. In some cases, private rooms were converted to semi-private. Nobody was plunked in a hallway, he said.
Wright said the hospital system would do its best to play catch-up on the missed surgeries.
"We'll add the surgical capacity (through increased shifts) because we don't want patients to be delayed any more than they have to be," he said.
larry.kusch@freepress.mb.ca
Republished from the Winnipeg Free Press print edition January 19, 2013 A3
More Latest News
- Back to Top
- Return to Latest News
More Latest News
(1 of 48 articles for today)
Forest fire situation unpredictable, premier says
7:04 PM 0Manitoba Premier Greg Selinger insists it’s too early and unpredictable to be optimistic about forest fire season in the province ...
Poll
Most Popular Latest News
- Young girl found dead on railway tracks
- Winnipeg man given 2-year sentence for coma-inducing 'sucker punch'
- Child in critical condition after West End crash
- Man convicted of drunk driving in Henderson pile-up
- Court told driver hysterical after vehicle fatally hit highway worker
- Teen on train tracks from York Landing
- McMunn & Yates absorbs five McDiarmid locations
- Saskatchewan considering hydro deal with Manitoba
- California 'Night Stalker' serial killer Richard Ramirez dies at 53
- HSC Home Lottery winners announced
- Young girl found dead on railway tracks
- HSC Home Lottery winners announced
- Winnipeg man given 2-year sentence for coma-inducing 'sucker punch'
- RCMP say woman deliberately murdered her sister with her car
- Toronto woman dead in rural Manitoba ATV wreck
- Child in critical condition after West End crash
- Manitoba restaurant stops selling giant hamburger "for obvious reasons"
- Jaimie Creasy becomes first woman to graduate from RRC with degree
- Bomber fans wowed by new stadium
- Portage Ave. stretch re-opens after Friday-night bomb scare
- Young girl found dead on railway tracks
- Man dies after being pulled from vehicle submerged in Winnipeg retention pond
- Hailstorm wreaks havoc on Winnipeg garden centre
- 87-year-old woman tells jurors, 'Somebody had to stand up to' Donald Trump
- Two people killed in crash north of Winnipeg
- Two Winnipeg teens identified as victims of crash
- HSC Home Lottery winners announced
- Father, daughter seriously injured in ATV crash
- Chiropractor guilty of sexually assaulting, beating ex-girlfriend
- Filipino singer Charice comes out as lesbian; Catholic official says she's in identity crisis
- At 55, I'm wise to what's real in life
- Basic arithmetic back in class
- Craig Ferguson adds second show
- Make it look natural; companies work to make packaged foods appear homespun
- McMunn & Yates absorbs five McDiarmid locations
- Teens can join Let It Out Summer Rock Camp
- City-wide average mosquito count drops
- Scientists meet to discuss weird British weather, say soggy summers likely for a few years
- New Flyer awarded Atlanta bus contract
- Suspect arrested after North End sex assault
- App could give Winnipeggers chance to report bad parking, get paid
- At 55, I'm wise to what's real in life
- Sobeys gobbles up Safeway
- Priest kept silent about accusations against Storheim, court hears
- Manitoba restaurant stops selling giant hamburger "for obvious reasons"
- Basic arithmetic back in class
- Geothermal heat coming to some Manitoba First Nations
- Spiralling cost of land raises new home prices
- Jaimie Creasy becomes first woman to graduate from RRC with degree
- Yaz and Yasmin pills linked to 23 deaths, say Health Canada documents
- New owner for lumber stores
- Chiropractor guilty of sexually assaulting, beating ex-girlfriend
- Grocer Joe Cantor dies at 88
- Door openers being used to break into garages, police warn
- Province formally opens Mental Health Crisis Response Centre
- Hailstorm wreaks havoc on Winnipeg garden centre
- New rules let customers cancel phone contracts without penalty after two years
- App could give Winnipeggers chance to report bad parking, get paid
- At 55, I'm wise to what's real in life
- MTS to sell Allstream to Egyptian investment group, focus on Manitoba market
Ads by Google
You can comment on most stories on winnipegfreepress.com. You can also agree or disagree with other comments. All you need to do is be a Winnipeg Free Press print or e-edition subscriber to join the conversation and give your feedback.
You can comment on most stories on winnipegfreepress.com. You can also agree or disagree with other comments. All you need to do is be a Winnipeg Free Press print or e-edition subscriber to join the conversation and give your feedback.
Have Your Say
New to commenting? Check out our Frequently Asked Questions.
Have Your Say
Comments are open to Winnipeg Free Press print or e-edition subscribers only. why?
Login SubscribeHave Your Say
Comments are open to Winnipeg Free Press Subscribers only. why?
SubscribeThe Winnipeg Free Press does not necessarily endorse any of the views posted. By submitting your comment, you agree to our Terms and Conditions. These terms were revised effective April 16, 2010.