Alberta Health Services confirmed Saturday that the Red Deer Regional Hospital Centre had to temporarily divert ICU patients because of an influx of patients needing care.
Some calls Saturday requiring ICU from outside of Red Deer are being sent to Edmonton and Calgary zones.
“In response to a spike in the number of patients requiring critical and intensive care, Red Deer Regional Hospital Centre (RDRHC) is temporarily diverting some ICU patients from other parts of Central Zone to facilities in Calgary or Edmonton,” AHS said in a statement Saturday.
“Patients with urgent needs will receive urgent care. We continue to do all we can to ensure our patients receive the care they need, when they need it.”
AHS explained that in the Central Zone, there are currently 18 ICU beds, including six additional spaces. As of 11:40 a.m., Saturday, the ICU has 16 patients, 10 of which are COVID-related. A total of two patients requiring ICU level care have been transferred out of zone.
On Monday, AHS said the diversion was ended Sunday morning and that only the two patients were diverted.
As of Friday, there were 241 general adult ICU beds open in Alberta, including 68 additional spaces above our baseline of 173 general adult ICU beds. There are currently 200 patients in ICU.
Provincially, ICU capacity (including additional surge beds) is currently at 83 per cent. Without the additional surge spaces, provincial ICU capacity would be at 116 per cent.
For almost six days last week, Red Deer’s non-emergency surgery patients were diverted to Edmonton or Calgary due to the high volume of cases and staff vacancies.
That was the second time in eight weeks that patients had to be diverted for the same reasons. Nine patients were diverted the weekend of Dec. 12.
Surgeries last week — with the exception of emergency life or limb cases and those patients already admitted to the hospital – were diverted between 9 p.m. on Jan. 31 and Feb. 5. Patients already on the urgent surgical add list were also seen in Red Deer and the site continued with its reduced elective surgery schedules, but a small number of elective procedures may have been postponed.