Paris (AFP)

Practitioner in a hospital in the Paris region, on the front line to treat the surge of coronavirus patients, an anesthesiologist-resuscitator delivers daily for AFP, on condition of anonymity, the summary of his day in full crisis sanitary.

- Wednesday March 25 -

"Every day is getting more and more tiring and tiring. More organizational changes in sight, until we have completely exhausted the hospital's expansion capacities.

There is the problem of the respirators but it is in my opinion still a false problem, or a facade. We talk about it a lot, but there are others less known. We especially need scopes to monitor patients (the monitor where the curve of vital functions is displayed, note), electric syringe pumps, suitable spaces where to put the sick, and caregivers to take care of them. ..

We are going to open other additional beds. Tomorrow or after tomorrow. But the tension has been rising frankly for four or five days. We are starting to think that some patients will not be able to go to intensive care when in normal times they would have had access to it. It is not yet the case, but it will come. It is almost inevitable.

For the moment there are enough people. Interns, externs, nurses and nursing assistants came as reinforcements. But we are starting to reach our limits, I have the impression.

And the staff are afraid. Fear of being sick. Not too much doctors, we often feel over that. Not because we are super strong, but rather because we have internalized that + the shoemakers are the most poorly fitted +. And caregivers are also afraid of getting exhausted, physically and psychologically, and having to make difficult decisions.

No death today in intensive care. But several patients who are in serious condition. Young for some, or not very old, it depends on the point of view. Well, not an age to die anyway.

The non-Covid unit, along with the rest of the patients, survives for the time being. But it risks being reduced in the coming days, due to the lack of places for Covid patients.

Again this weekend, I didn't really believe in all that. I thought the hospital was able to absorb everything.

But for two or three days I no longer believe in it. There are going to be dramas and I think it scares everyone. "

© 2020 AFP