A spike in the number of babies suffering from the respiratory illness RSV is increasing the emergency room wait times at UPMC Children’s Hospital of Pittsburgh, according to officials.
Dr. Raymond Pitetti, director of the emergency department at Children’s, said the surge in respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) began about six weeks ago and has increased steadily.
“RSV is beginning to run rampant,” he said. “We’re also seeing more cases of the flu, but the rise has not been as rapid.”
He said some children also are testing positive for covid-19 but for the most part those cases “have plateaued.”
During the week of Oct. 17-23, 155 patients tested positive for RSV at Children’s Hospital, where the number of cases has risen by about 15 or 20 a week since since Sept. 11, when there were 32.
During the week of Oct. 18-24, 2021, there were 31 positive cases of RSV at the hospital.
Pitetti said children who are taken to the emergency room quickly undergo a triage assessment by a nurse to determine the severity of their illness, but the time it takes for them to be seen by a physician or be admitted to the hospital can be significantly longer.
“The volume in the ER has been much higher,” he said. “The wait time can be as long as four to six hours.”
Pitetti said the hospital has not had a problem finding beds for children who need to be admitted.
“We occasionally have all of our beds full, but we never defer a case when that happens,” he said. “We manage patient care in the ER until a bed opens up. Unfortunately, that can take several hours and it is frustrating for the parents. We feel for them.”
Members of the hospital administration meet regularly to outline plans for how to handle a surge in cases that could make beds scarce, Pitetti said.
RSV is a common infection that causes coldlike symptoms such as cough, fever and a runny nose, said Dr. Joseph Aracri, chairman of the Allegheny Health Network’s Pediatric Institute.
“It’s very common, really just like a cold,” he said. “But we get concerned when little babies have it because it can cause inflammation in their lungs, which makes it difficult for them to breathe.”
Aracri said babies can end up in the hospital because the difficulty breathing, along with nasal discharge from being sick, can make it hard for them to take a bottle for nutrition and to stay hydrated.
But RSV is not the only surge in illnesses from respiratory viruses sending kids to the doctor, he said.
“Pick one — RSV, the flu, the common cold and even some covid cases,” he said. “It’s all going around out there. Our pediatric offices have been overwhelmed, especially in the past week.”
Most children suffering from RSV or other respiratory illness who go to one of AHN’s community hospitals are treated there unless the symptoms are severe, Aracri said.
“If a baby seems stable but maybe needs a little bit of support like some oxygen or IV fluids until they calm down, that can easily be taken care of at a community hospital,” he said. “But if a physician sees a case where the baby is very sick and is working really hard to breathe and there’s pending respiratory failure, than they should be at a children’s hospital.”
There is no vaccine for RSV, but symptoms can typically be handled by letting the virus run its course. Doctors also can prescribe oral steroids or an inhaler to make it easier to breathe.
In the most serious cases, children are admitted to the hospital, where they can get oxygen, a breathing tube or help from a ventilator.
While Children’s Hospital in Pittsburgh has been able to keep pace with the surge in RSV infections among babies, doctors at hospitals in some parts of the country say they are falling behind.
Dr. Juan Salazar of Connecticut Children’s Hospital called the recent surge in RSV cases there “an emergency.” He said the hospital has had to shuffle patients into playrooms and other spaces not normally used for beds.
Dr. Elizabeth Mack of the Medical University of South Carolina said they are “drowning in RSV” cases as the surge arrived earlier this year than normal.
The surge in RSV cases, Mack said, is the result of immune systems that might not be as prepared to fight the virus after more than two years of masking, which offered protection.
As restrictions on wearing face coverings, social distancing and other covid-mitigation measures decreased, illnesses from RSV and other viruses increased, she said.
RSV typically leads to about 58,000 hospitalizations and up to 500 deaths a year among children younger than 5. Nearly all children are infected by RSV by age 2.
Officials with Excela Health were not immediately available to comment Sunday.
Tony LaRussa is a Tribune-Review staff writer. You can contact Tony by email at tlarussa@triblive.com or via Twitter .
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