Adults being admitted to Saskatoon children’s hospital to ease ICU strain

The Pediatric Intensive Care Unit (PICU) at Saskatoon’s Jim Pattison Children’s Hospital is now accepting patients outside of its normal age range.

The Saskatchewan Health Authority confirmed Wednesday the PICU will temporarily be accepting selected adults up to the age of 40 less a day. However, pediatric patients will remain the unit’s priority and none will be displaced to make room for an adult.

The change, which is effective immediately, is designed to ease the COVID-related strain on intensive care units in the province.

According to a release from the SHA, adults who need an ICU bed will be screened. A clinical review by adult critical care physicians (intensivists) and the pediatric intensivist will determine which adult patients will be selected.

“Critical care capacity is under strain and all avenues of support need to be explored so we can continue to care for extremely ill patients,” Dr. Susan Shaw, the SHA’s chief medical officer, said in a media release.

The SHA announced last Friday it was launching an expanded surge plan in preparation for growing numbers of COVID patients. As of Tuesday, there was a record 262 COVID patients in Saskatchewan hospitals, including 54 in ICUs.

The SHA said its normal ICU capacity is 79 beds, split between facilities in Saskatoon, Regina, Prince Albert, Moose Jaw, Yorkton, Swift Current and North Battleford. It now has added 22 surge beds in Saskatoon, Regina, Yorkton, North Battleford and Swift Current.

As of Tuesday, 78 of the 101 available ICU beds were full. Two adult COVID patients had been admitted to JPCH.

If necessary, the PICU will expand to 18 critical care beds, with six additional “flex” beds for pediatric patients and selected adult patients. The SHA said staffing plans have been developed to handle the additional beds, with service slowdowns in other areas being done to free up staff.

According to the SHA, the move is similar to one done in February, when the age of admission at JPCH temporarily was raised to 30 years of age less a day.

“In the early stages of the pandemic response the PICU and full JPCH team quickly looked for ways we could support the provincial pandemic response while keeping focus on the children and families we served,” said Dr. Tanya Holt, the SHA’s division head of Pediatric Intensive Care and Pediatric Transport.

“Our PICU team has the skills and expertise to expand our services to a select group of the adult population, taking pressure off of the greater system. We have been thoughtful in building our surge plan, keeping children the priority and in simulating our responses to adult care.”