Babies die on the waiting list for ICU beds in PE

Two babies died from Monday (23) to Tuesday (24) in the midst of the waiting list for ICU in the public network of Pernambuco. Data passed on by the state government to the Public Ministry indicate that almost 90 children are currently waiting for a bed.

The first case took place at the Barão de Lucena Hospital, in Recife, on the second. An 11-month-old baby, who had acute viral bronchitis, anemia and pneumonia, died at 9:53 am, waiting for the ICU bed.

According to the Pernambuco Health Department, the boy arrived at the hospital in serious condition after being transferred from a UPA. He was intubated and placed on mechanical ventilation. The child had already spent three months in a neonatal intensive care unit before, after being born seven months premature.

The second death, of a one-month-old baby, occurred at dawn this Tuesday – the child was being prepared to be transferred to an ICU, but had a cardiorespiratory arrest at the UPA do Curado, in Jaboatão dos Guararapes, in Greater Recife.

The baby had symptoms of coughing and tiredness, according to the Pernambuco Health Department. “Due to a worsening in the evolution of the clinical picture, the transfer to a ward focused on the monitoring of respiratory cases was requested”, says the folder. The picture was of acute viral bronchiolitis.

The number of children and babies waiting for ICU beds in Pernambuco reaches almost 90, according to a list sent by the Health Department to the Pernambuco Public Ministry this Tuesday (24). There are 73 children.

However, the folder informed the report that, at the moment, there are 44 active requests for pediatric ICU beds and 13 for neonatal ICU.

Also according to the secretariat, the average occupancy rate of pediatric beds for patients with severe acute respiratory syndrome (Srag) is 82% in the ICU and 68% in the ward.

The Secretary of Health of Pernambuco, André Longo, had said on Wednesday (18) that the state recorded an increase in cases of respiratory diseases, especially in children.

The respiratory syncytial virus (RSV), which attacks the bronchi and lungs, is predominant in children up to two years old. The rhinovirus, which causes the common cold, is dominant in older children.

In a note, the Health Department said that it has opened another 60 beds in the pediatric ICU in recent days and that it has been working to expand the network. In addition, the folder alleges that it authorized reinforcement in the shifts of pediatricians and physical therapists, in addition to the summoning of public servants in the area.