Noida/Greater Noida: The number of Covid patients admitted to ICU wards at various hospitals in Noida and Greater Noida has been on the decline, but there is a major issue that they still have to grapple with — comorbidities.
While the government's Covid facilities have seen a drop to under 16 patients, the number is marginally higher at under 18 in most private hospitals. As per the data shared by the hospital authorities, most of the patients admitted in ICU wards are over 50 years of age and some of them are being treated for additional problems, including rare comorbidities.
Some of the major issues that the Covid patients have complained of include alveolar microlithiasis (a disorder in which tiny fragments of calcium phosphate accumulate in the small air sacs), patients with one kidney, Wegner’s granulomatosis (inflammation of the blood vessels in nose, throat, lungs and kidneys), cellulitis (a serious bacterial skin infection leading to skin inflammation) and appendicitis.
Currently, the Government Institute of Medical Sciences (GIMS) has 16 patients in its ICU ward, while the Sharda hospital in Greater Noida and Noida Covid Hospital in Sector 39 have 10 patients each.
In private hospitals, too, the number of patients in ICU has gone down. There are eight patients in Fortis ICU, 18 in Prakash Covid hospital and 106 out of 172 (total admitted) in Yatharth Covid hospital in Noida extension. In most of these facilities, nearly five to 10 patients are admitted with uncommon comorbid conditions.
“We have eight patients on dialysis, two patients with single kidneys, one patient whose kidney has been transplanted, two cancer patients and 27 patients with a cardiac history. We are also treating patients with ITP (Idiopathic Thrombocytic Purpura). It’s a kind of blood disorder characterised by an abnormal decrease in the number of platelets in the blood and Wegner’s granulomatosis, which is inflammation of the blood vessels in the nose, throat, lungs and kidneys). Also, a 16-year-old Covid patient underwent surgery for perforated appendicitis,” said Dr Sunil Kumar, medical superintendent at Yatharth hospital.
Fortis hospital has treated a patient for alveolar microlithiasis. At Sharda hospital, of the 10 Covid patients admitted in the ICU, five are getting treated for kidney-related ailments, one of them is an asthma patient who has had hip-replacement surgery, one of them is getting treated for Cellulitis, and another one was given treatment for Thrombocytopenia. “Along with Covid treatment, all these patients will be treated till their uncommon conditions are resolved. We are also treating three patients with coronary artery disease (CAD) and one of them has had a knee replacement surgery,” said Dr Ajit Kumar, spokesperson of Sharda hospital.
Similarly, Prakash hospital and GIMS are treating a few patients in the dialysis facility at the ICU. “As per a government order on October 10, we are stabilising patients with comorbidities before discharging them,” said Brigadier (retd) Dr RK Gupta, director GIMS.