March 18, 2020
This is the latest graphic from the Louisiana Department of Health. It can be found on their website and is updated twice a day. If you look at the other tabs at the bottom of the page, there are graphs illustrating the age distribution of infected patients in Louisiana and distribution by the parish.
http://ldh.la.gov/coronavirus/
When is it safe to return to my life again?
This is Updated Information from the Louisiana State Board of Medical Examiners: 3-17-2020
“Please use the following updated symptom-based strategy to return to normal activity following a suspected or confirmed case of COVID-19: Continue isolation until:
- At least 3 days (72 hours) have passed since recovery defined as resolution of fever without the use of fever-reducing medications and improvement in respiratory symptoms (e.g., cough, shortness of breath)
- At least 7 days have passed since symptoms first appeared”
ELECTIVE SURGERY
The last thing I wanted to share is the opinion of local hospitals and national organizations on “elective surgery”. Currently, none of the facilities where I perform surgery have stopped elective surgery outright. There is a move to look at each case individually in order to determine if it can be postponed or if it needs to be done as scheduled. This is something that the physician and patient or family would need to discuss. There is an ongoing conversation on my Otolaryngology Academy message board regarding this topic, in the hope of getting some direction in classifying “elective” surgery. If anyone has any questions about my practice plans, please contact us at contact@hebertmedical.com. This topic is very fluid at this time. See the passages below:
The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has recommended that hospital elective procedures, surgeries, and non-urgent outpatient visits be postponed once the virus has started to spread through a community.
The Ambulatory Surgery Center Association, which represents outpatient surgery centers, on Monday said its members can continue to provide safe surgical care for patients whose conditions cannot wait until hospitals return to normal operations. These include procedures such as orthopedic or spinal surgery that, if delayed, would result in continued pain and debility for the patient, said spokeswoman Kay Tucker.
The American College of Surgeons, an influential medical association, recommended on Friday that hospitals, health systems, and surgeons “minimize, postpone, or cancel elective operations” until it becomes clear whether the health care infrastructure can support the expected spike in critical patient care needs.
I will continue to update my patients on Covid 19 and the actions of Hebert Medical Group going forward.
God Bless,
Richard L. Hebert, II, MD
