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ARCHIVED - More respirators make Murcia health service better able to fight against Covid
Costa Cálida hospitals are far better prepared to deal with the second wave of coronavirus
Regional health services all over Spain have been forced by the coronavirus pandemic into rapidly increasing the amount of equipment available for treating patients diagnosed with the condition, and in the Region of Murcia the hospitals of the SMS hospital are now equipped with a total of 892 respirator machines, well over double the figure at the beginning of the year.
Eight months ago, when the first cases of coronavirus were reported in this country, respirators (along with facemasks and other items of protective clothing) suddenly became the most sought-after items in health services throughout the world as medics struggled to save those patients whose condition became life-threatening. But as the expected second wave reaches the Region of Murcia the SMS public health authority is now far better prepared than in the spring, with the number of machines available having been raised by 134 per cent from 381 to 892.
The increase of 511 has come about as a result of the efforts of both the national and regional governments: Spain’s Ministry of Health has supplied 247 respirators and the Murcia government a further 264 (although 40 of these have yet to be delivered). It is anticipated that this increase in capacity will enable more patients to receive appropriate support and treatment earlier, and therefore bring about a further decrease in the mortality rate among coronavirus and pneumonia patients.
When patients suffer respiratory problems a variety of treatments are available depending on the seriousness of the situation, and when all else fails the most extreme is “Extracorporeal Membrane Oxygenation” (ECMO). This is basically an artificial lung, which takes blood out of the patient and passes it through a membrane to supply oxygen and remove CO2 before returning it to the body.
Murcia has an ECMO team based in the Arrixaca hospital in El Palmar, and they also travel to other hospitals as and when required: this year, with the arrival of Covid-19, they have been called into action on some 20 occasions, whereas in the past their specialized skills were needed only two or three times a year.