COVID INTENSIVE CARE UNITS ARE CLOSING ONE BY ONE

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COVID INTENSIVE CARE UNITS ARE CLOSING ONE BY ONE! ONLY PATIENT LEFT

Turkey Medicals said that since the beginning of the pandemic, the lowest point has been reached in the number of patients in intensive care units. Photos from Cerrahpasa Faculty of Medicine, one of the largest pandemic centers in Turkey, are pleasing.

Turkey has seen the lowest point in Covid intensive care occupancy rates, perhaps for the first time since the beginning of the pandemic. Along with vaccination and new variants with a mild course, the need for hospitalization and intensive care for COVID infection has significantly decreased.

University in Istanbul Cerrahpasa Faculty of Medicine Department of Anesthesia and Reanimation and President of the Turkish Intensive Care Association Prof. Dr. and Turkey Health Minister recently announced that the Kovid intensive care occupancy rate of one-third will fall further this week, recalling that “Kovid patients in intensive care across Turkey have really decreased a lot. In most centers, Kovid intensive care units are being closed one by one and beds are being put on standby for our surgical patients who have been postponed due to the pandemic, which we now call elective,” he said. Pointing out that there is also one critically ill Covid patient left in their clinic, Prof. Dr. made important statements.

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INTENSIVE CARE UNITS DEDICATED TO COVID ARE BEING CLOSED

Prof. Dr. pointed out that there was a serious increase in the number of patients in intensive care units in these months last year, saying, “The number of patients was about a thousand 300-thousand 400s and the number of intubated patients was about a thousand. Then a serious increase took place. This was the initial period of the increase. But looking at this year, this rate has fallen quite a bit. For example, in our hospital, all the beds were full last year, even october intensive care was opened, and as of today we have only one COVID-19 critically ill patient left. We understand with the data that has come to us that the occupancy rate in intensive care units has decreased throughout Turkey. The results of the Turkish Intensive Care Association from intensive care units throughout the country also show a really serious decline. Our Minister explained that it is at the rate of one third, but perhaps this week, these rates may have fallen even lower. We are learning that intensive care units reserved for Covid have been closed in many places, and that there are transitions towards normal intensive care units,” he said.

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THE EFFECT OF THE VACCINE ON THIS PROCESS IS GREAT

Stating that the most important reason for the decrease in the number of seriously ill patients is the vaccination policy, Prof. Dr. said, “The fact that the Ministry of Health has conducted its vaccination policy well has benefited us very seriously in this regard. In terms of improvements in treatments, we have been thinking about what would be good for the treatments we have been doing since the beginning, it has happened the same way all over the world. It’s not very a changing situation. That’s why vaccination was so important. As the rate of vaccination increased, a decrease in COVID-19 patients was also achieved. Currently, the number of cases is still ongoing, but it is now at a lower rate that they have reached a critical point. As the elderly and immunocompromised patients who need to be vaccinated also complete their (reminder) vaccinations and take care of it, the numbers are falling as expected,” he said.

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TRAUMA CASES IN INTENSIVE CARE HAVE INCREASED AGAIN

As in all of Turkey, almost all intensive care beds were completely reserved for COVID 19 patients in Cerrahpaşa last year, Prof. Dr. said that now covid patients are being replaced by patients after planned surgeries that are waiting, and recently cases of increased trauma have begun to fill up. Doctor in Istanbul said, “This is what happened in the world. Planned surgeries, which we call elective, have been postponed. They were put on hold. Admissions to the intensive care unit, except for emergency patients, were stopped for a while. During the closure period of the houses in Turkey, outings, mobility decreased, even traffic accidents decreased, and their need for intensive care also decreased.

As in other hospitals, we have divided one part of us into non-covid patients and one part into covid patients. The non-covid intensive care unit has reached 100 percent occupancy. In order to get our patients in need to the normal intensive care unit, we are turning this unit back to the normal intensive care unit by taking advantage of the decrease in COVID. The beds that you see empty right now will be filled with other patients as of today. 8 of patients who are currently waiting in line (for surgery) will be arriving at these beds a little later. For Covid, we will keep a smaller intensive care unit active. As long as the patients are there, we will continue to look there. Cancer patients who had not progressed much had been put on hold during the pandemic. Now their operations will take place.

There are also critically ill patients with various concomitant diseases who may need intensive care after surgery. As pandemic patients began to end, patients such as trauma patients, head injuries, traffic accidents, common body injuries began to increase. We have started to re-enroll these patients who were not in intensive care during the pandemic. The bed problem of intensive care is a never-ending problem. Only those who have experienced it know this, and perhaps there was not so much awareness of the importance of intensive care before the pandemic. The pandemic has made it clear the importance of intensive care.” it said.

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President of Organ Transplant Center at MedicalPark Hospital Antalya

Turkey's world-renowned organ transplant specialist. Dr. Demirbaş has 104 international publications and 102 national publications.

Physician's Resume:

Born on August 7, 1963 in Çorum, Prof. Dr. Alper Demirbaş has been continuing his work as the President of MedicalPark Antalya Hospital Organ Transplantation Center since 2008.

Prof. who performed the first tissue incompatible kidney transplant in Turkey, the first blood type incompatible kidney transplant, the first kidney-pancreas transplant program and the first cadaveric donor and live donor liver transplant in Antalya. Dr. As of August 2016, Alper Demirbaş has performed 4900 kidney transplants, 500 liver transplants and 95 pancreas transplants.

In addition to being the chairman of 6 national congresses, he has also been an invited speaker at 12 international and 65 national scientific congresses. Dr. Alper Demirbaş was married and the father of 1 girl and 1 boy.

Awards:

Eczacibasi Medical Award of 2002, Akdeniz University Service Award of 2005, Izder Medical Man of the Year Award of 2006, BÖHAK Medical Man of the Year Award of 2007, Sabah Mediterranean Newspaper Scientist of the Year Award of 2007, ANTIKAD Scientist of the Year Award of 2009, Social Ethics Association Award of 2010, Işık University Medical Man of the Year Award of 2015, VTV Antalya's Brand Value Award of 2015.

Certificates:

Doctor of Medicine Degree Hacettepe University Faculty of Medicine Ankara, General Surgeon Ministry of Health Turkey EKFMG (0-477-343-8), University of Miami School of Medicine Member of Multiple Organ Transplant, ASTS Multiorgan Transplant Scholarship. Lecturer at Kyoto University. Lecturer at University of Essen, Research assistant at the University of Cambridge .

Professional Members:

American Society of Transplant Surgeons, American Transplantation Society Nominated, Middle East and Southern Africa Council Transplantation Society 2007, International Liver Transplantation Association, Turkish Transplantation Association, Turkish Society of Surgery, Turkish Hepatobiliary Surgery Association.

Disclaimer:

Our website contents consist of articles approved by our Web and Medical Editorial Board with the contributions of our physicians. Our contents are prepared only for informational purposes for public benefit. Be sure to consult your doctor for diagnosis and treatment.
Medically Reviewed by Professor Doctor Alper Demirbaş
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