More died at covid-iva in Skåne: "Only the sickest were admitted"

According to Region Skåne, however, the figures are not as bad as they seem at first glance.

- The selection for the intensive care units is different in different parts of the country.

In some intensive care units in Skåne, we have only taken in the sickest, he says.

Skåne stands out compared to the other metropolitan regions and has an almost three times higher mortality rate than Jönköping.

Photo: SVT / Storyblocks

Those in other regions who would have ended up in the intensive care unit in Skåne have instead ended up in the intermediate care ward, which is the step between regular care and intensive care, according to Anders Rehn, operations manager for intensive care in Skåne.

Not comparable groups

What counts as intermediate care is currently not clearly defined, but according to the calculations that exist, Skåne has one of the largest shares of intermediate care in the country.

In Skåne, there is therefore a large proportion of patients who have been treated there, survived and returned home.

In other regions, similar patients have ended up on IVA and this has contributed positively to the survival statistics.

- These are not comparable groups when we compare our different intensive care units in the country, says Anders Rehn.

Different treatment methods

At present, there is not much research that can provide a more definitive answer to what the differences between the country's intensive care units are due to.

If you look at the statistics collected, you can see that the treatment methods differed from region to region.

And despite the fact that Anders Rehn insists that it is primarily about intermediate care for Skåne's part, he admits that the differences in treatment, for example when people are put on a respirator, may have had an effect.

- We have to take a chance on a new patient and then you have to assume - should we put the early ones on a respirator?

Does it matter?

Not on the total material what we can see here, but still it may matter, we may at least have some space for it so we have the opportunity to do it earlier.