Posted on 09/14/21
| News Source: WBAL
Anne Arundel Medical Center has started putting off some non-emergency, elective surgeries until COVID-19 admissions start to decline.
COVID-19 patients are currently occupying about 10% of all the hospital beds at AAMC, and more than 70% of them are unvaccinated.
"This was a very difficult decision. This was a multi-disciplinary decision made over a period of time where we were watching our numbers," said Dr. Stephen Selinger, the hospital's chief medical officer.
Maryland hospitals haven't taken such action since March 2020. The hospital cited September's delta variant-fueled COVID-19 case surge and an increase in emergency room visits. It's a combination that is straining capacity, Selinger said.
"In order to be able to accommodate those emergency patients, those patients with urgent and life-threatening needs who present to our emergency department, who need an inpatient bed, our only alternative is to restrict and delay some of these elective surgeries," Selinger said.
Out of roughly 60 to 70 elective surgeries performed at AAMC each day, about half require post-operative, in-patient care. Officials estimate 10 non-emergency surgeries per day will be put on hold.
"Maximally, we'll be delaying 10 surgeries per day. The reason we're delaying these surgeries is because our emergency department volumes are such that we need the inpatient beds to take care of our community at large," Selinger said.