ERcast – Lessons Learned and First Hand Account From Kirkland, WA

Originally posted on ERcast on March 2020. Reposted with permission. Follow Dr. Rob Orman (@emergencypdx) for the latest EM updates.

Listen to the accompanying podcast by clicking HERE

Kirkland, Washington was the first U.S. city with reports of a large-scale COVID-19 outbreak. In this special edition of ERcast, Dr. Patrick Reinfried, an emergency physician practicing at Kirkland’s Evergreen Hospital, gives a first hand account of what happened in his community, how his hospital has responded, and lessons learned. In this episode: difficult decisions that might not have been made before the outbreak, testing, what factors go into deciding admission vs. discharge, how to limit exposure to COVID patients and save PPE,  re-ordering the emergency department with an area dedicated to fever and respiratory illness, patient flow, utility of BiPAP vs intubation, lab ordering, X-rays, and psychological impact.

FOAMed Resources

• EM:RAP COVID-19 Resources
• emDOCs.net – Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) Pearls – COVID-19
• The Internet Book of Critical Care – COVID-19
• REBEL EM – COVID-19: The Novel Coronavirus 2019
• EM Cases – COVID-19: PART 1 / PART 2 / PART 3