Two patients are currently receiving intensive care at the Burn Center at the Academic Hospital - one of Sweden's two specialist units that takes care of severely burn patients.

In addition to severe pressure at Uppsala Hospital in general, due to the corona pandemic, the department has another major problem: a bacterial outbreak.

This is the multi-resistant bacterium acinetobacter baumannii that has taken on the intensive care center at the Burn Center.

Most recently about five years ago there was an outbreak of the bacterium, which is found all over the world. Fredrik Huss, chief physician at the Burn Center, describes it as a "nasty" bacterium that survives for a long time.

- You just have to clean everything up to overcome this, he says.

"Going to the knees"

Both intensive care patients have been infected by the bacterium, says Fredrik Huss. Now infection detection, remediation and cleaning are ongoing.

- And that in a position where Swedish healthcare goes to its knees. If it has not been on its knees in recent years, I do not know what it is going on now. We didn't need this right now with corona and vacation times, he says.

What then happens to new patients in need of intensive care? In normal cases, the Burn Center is usually able to get help from other intensive care units at the Academic Hospital, but because of the corona pandemic, the places are few.

Patients can also be routed to the Burn Center at the University Hospital in Linköping. But on Thursday it was found that all intensive care sites for burn victims in both Uppsala and Linköping were full. They then contacted its Nordic counterparts and the National Board of Health and Welfare - and now a collaboration has been activated.

Ships within the Nordic countries

Seriously burned patients in need of intensive care may be sent to Finland, Denmark or Norway if there is no room for them in Sweden. The cooperation has been developed since before, and is a plan on how the countries should act in the event of a major burn disaster.

- We have no disaster situation or mass damage situation, but on the other hand the plan is useful at a stage when resources are depleted in a country, says Fredrik Huss.

Folke Sjöberg, professor and chief physician at the Burn Center in Linköping, also testifies to a strained situation. The department has a total of three intensive care units, which at the time of writing are occupied.

- That is why we have chosen to ask the Nordic group for help together, he says.