It's so crazy to me the varying degrees of this illness. The first nurse is already listed to be in "improved" condition- which we can only speculate about, but sounds like she's doing pretty well. Meanwhile other people are dying and near dying.
Does the speed of supportive treatment like IVs and such make THAT much of a difference? It makes you wonder about the interplay of the complexity of an individuals genetic make up, immune system etc etc.
Is there such a thing as a mild case of Ebola? Just like people can get varying degrees of other illnesses?
I would think that if a patient came in presenting symptoms as soon as they showed, intervention would slow down the progression of the virus. It as a high fatality rate, but people do recover from it. It would make sense that the first nurse getting early treatment is what has helped her improve so quickly.
I read elsewhere that the suits are all one size and this does not account for people who are much smaller (like the first nurse who appears to be pretty tiny from the pics) or much bigger.
in the Mashable article on this topic the NNU stated that nurses reported that some supervisors told them they could wear the cloth masks, not the N95 masks used for droplet isolation.
In meetings at my hospital we have discussed claims that works did not have closed-top face shields so droplets from projectile vomit could theoretically get up and around the top of your face shield and into your eye.
. N95 marks are used for airborne not droplet. A regular mask is used for droplet.
Huh. MT and NE are pretty small (population small I mean), rural states.
I guess I expected the fancy biocontainment units to be in DC, NY or LA.
It makes sense to me. If you have a super contagious disease, do you want to expose a great amount of the population to it? Atlanta has one by the CDC so they can monitor. Maryland throws me off though than being a military base- I know nothing of it (small, large, advanced technology etc.
It's so crazy to me the varying degrees of this illness. The first nurse is already listed to be in "improved" condition- which we can only speculate about, but sounds like she's doing pretty well. Meanwhile other people are dying and near dying.
Does the speed of supportive treatment like IVs and such make THAT much of a difference? It makes you wonder about the interplay of the complexity of an individuals genetic make up, immune system etc etc.
Is there such a thing as a mild case of Ebola? Just like people can get varying degrees of other illnesses?
The nurse got a transfusion from Dr Brantly. I had previously read that Duncan had an existing kidney condition. So a) varying levels of health prior to the virus, and b) transfusion from a newly recovered pt has got to be one of the best available treatments.
It's so crazy to me the varying degrees of this illness. The first nurse is already listed to be in "improved" condition- which we can only speculate about, but sounds like she's doing pretty well. Meanwhile other people are dying and near dying.
Does the speed of supportive treatment like IVs and such make THAT much of a difference? It makes you wonder about the interplay of the complexity of an individuals genetic make up, immune system etc etc.
Is there such a thing as a mild case of Ebola? Just like people can get varying degrees of other illnesses?
The nurse got a transfusion from Dr Brantly. I had previously read that Duncan had an existing kidney condition. So a) varying levels of health prior to the virus, and b) transfusion from a newly recovered pt has got to be one of the best available treatments.
Oh wow- I didn't realize that! How awesome that she was able to get that. So transfusion from someone recovered could be a big key here.
The nurse got a transfusion from Dr Brantly. I had previously read that Duncan had an existing kidney condition. So a) varying levels of health prior to the virus, and b) transfusion from a newly recovered pt has got to be one of the best available treatments.
Oh wow- I didn't realize that! How awesome that she was able to get that. So transfusion from someone recovered could be a big key here.
And she might not have gone through the worst of it yet. My understanding is they are fine, until they aren't. Then some pull through it and others don't. I have no idea if this is true or not.
The nurse got a transfusion from Dr Brantly. I had previously read that Duncan had an existing kidney condition. So a) varying levels of health prior to the virus, and b) transfusion from a newly recovered pt has got to be one of the best available treatments.
Oh wow- I didn't realize that! How awesome that she was able to get that. So transfusion from someone recovered could be a big key here.
Obv it's not applicable on a wide basis (I think I heard they wanted to do it for Duncan but he didn't have the right blood type?), but in a limited situation like this, I think it's kind of awesome. I read that they called Brantly when he was in the car, and then had him hold the line while they found the nearest collection center.
So I just read that the hospital staff didn't actually wear any special gear until they confirmed he had Ebola. So they were treating a patient being tested for Ebola with normal hospital gear. This went on for TWO days. !!!
So I just read that the hospital staff didn't actually wear any special gear until they confirmed he had Ebola. So they were treating a patient being tested for Ebola with normal hospital gear. This went on for TWO days. !!!
Alrighty then.
So none of us shall be surprised when 3 or 4 more nurses and/or doctors come down with Ebola in TX in the next week or so, right?
So I just read that the hospital staff didn't actually wear any special gear until they confirmed he had Ebola. So they were treating a patient being tested for Ebola with normal hospital gear. This went on for TWO days. !!!
Alrighty then.
So none of us shall be surprised when 3 or 4 more nurses and/or doctors come down with Ebola in TX in the next week or so, right?
So I just read that the hospital staff didn't actually wear any special gear until they confirmed he had Ebola. So they were treating a patient being tested for Ebola with normal hospital gear. This went on for TWO days. !!!
I'll say it again: stupidity is going to kill us all.
Huh. MT and NE are pretty small (population small I mean), rural states.
I guess I expected the fancy biocontainment units to be in DC, NY or LA.
It makes sense to me. If you have a super contagious disease, do you want to expose a great amount of the population to it? Atlanta has one by the CDC so they can monitor. Maryland throws me off though than being a military base- I know nothing of it (small, large, advanced technology etc.
And the reason the CDC is in Atlanta is because in the 1940s when it was founded, its primary mission was stopping malaria, and the South was ground zero for malaria in the US.
So I just read that the hospital staff didn't actually wear any special gear until they confirmed he had Ebola. So they were treating a patient being tested for Ebola with normal hospital gear. This went on for TWO days. !!!
I’m having a really, really hard time wrapping my mind about the horror of Ebola. I’m reading all these articles that say things like “Profuse and extensive production of diarrhea and vomiting” and I just can’t even imagine the level this must rise to.
You are caring for a man you suspect, but can't confirm, has Ebola and YOU DONT TAKE ANY SPECIAL PRECAUTION BECAUSE THE RESULTS FROM THE LAB ARENT BACK?!?
The whole country should sue this hospital for criminal negligence.
So I just read that the hospital staff didn't actually wear any special gear until they confirmed he had Ebola. So they were treating a patient being tested for Ebola with normal hospital gear. This went on for TWO days. !!!
I am going to need to see a pretty reliable source on this before I believe it. Hospitals are isolation precaution happy, it's hard to believe they would just skip in there all willy nilly.
In Dallas, nurses assigned to care for Duncan, who died last week, weren't given proper training or proper personal protective equipment, said Deborah Burger, co-president of the nursing group, who said she has spoken with nurses at Texas Presbyterian. Those nurses also were assigned to care for other patients, potentially exposing them to Ebola, she said. Duncan was left in an area with other patients for hours after he was diagnosed rather than immediately isolated, she said.
Blood samples taken from Duncan were sent through the hospital's general tube delivery system, rather than hand-delivered to a lab, Burger quoted the nurses as saying. That could potentially contaminate the entire tube system, which could infect blood shipped around the hospital.
The hospital failed to promptly remove waste contaminated with Ebola, which was stacked "to the ceilings," Burger said.
"We want to make sure this does not happen ever again," Burger said.
Duncan was left in a nonquarantined zone for several hours, and a nurse supervisor faced resistance from hospital authorities after demanding that Duncan be moved to an isolation unit, according to the union’s statement. Additionally, Duncan’s lab specimens were sent through the hospital’s tube system, potentially contaminating the system, the nurses said.
Nurses who interacted with Duncan were given the option of wearing special N95 masks, but some supervisors said the masks were not necessary, the nurses said, according to the statement.
“For their necks, nurses had to use medical tape, that is not impermeable and has permeable seams, to wrap around their necks in order to protect themselves, and had to put on the tape and take it off on their own,” the statement reads.
“Nurses had to interact with Mr. Duncan with whatever protective equipment was available, at a time when he had copious amounts of diarrhea and vomiting which produces a lot of contagious fluids.”
So I just read that the hospital staff didn't actually wear any special gear until they confirmed he had Ebola. So they were treating a patient being tested for Ebola with normal hospital gear. This went on for TWO days. !!!
I am going to need to see a pretty reliable source on this before I believe it. Hospitals are isolation precaution happy, it's hard to believe they would just skip in there all willy nilly.
In Dallas, nurses assigned to care for Duncan, who died last week, weren't given proper training or proper personal protective equipment, said Deborah Burger, co-president of the nursing group, who said she has spoken with nurses at Texas Presbyterian. Those nurses also were assigned to care for other patients, potentially exposing them to Ebola, she said. Duncan was left in an area with other patients for hours after he was diagnosed rather than immediately isolated, she said.
Blood samples taken from Duncan were sent through the hospital's general tube delivery system, rather than hand-delivered to a lab, Burger quoted the nurses as saying. That could potentially contaminate the entire tube system, which could infect blood shipped around the hospital.
The hospital failed to promptly remove waste contaminated with Ebola, which was stacked "to the ceilings," Burger said.
"We want to make sure this does not happen ever again," Burger said.
I’m having a really, really hard time wrapping my mind about the horror of Ebola. I’m reading all these articles that say things like “Profuse and extensive production of diarrhea and vomiting” and I just can’t even imagine the level this must rise to.
Well it's a hemorrhagic fever. Your cells become infected with the virus and burst. The virus produces a protein called ebolavirus glycoprotein and it attaches itself to vessel walls increasing their permeability. Your vessels start to leak and blood starts to just come out. The virus disrupts the body's ability to coagulate and thicken blood. You just turn into a mushy mess. It's not pretty.
I am going to need to see a pretty reliable source on this before I believe it. Hospitals are isolation precaution happy, it's hard to believe they would just skip in there all willy nilly.
They didn't wear hazmat suits until the diagnosis was confirmed. And again, the CDC does not recommend hazmat suits for healthcare workers. The protocol is gown, gloves, mask, and shield. I am assuming (hoping) protocols will change soon. It does not say they wore no protective gear, just not hazmat suits.