LAS VEGAS (KTNV) — A combination of RSV cases and other respiratory viruses are pushing Nevada hospitals to the brink.
A report published by the Nevada Hospital Association states that pediatric beds throughout the state remain at or near 100% capacity on a daily basis.
Additionally, Pediatric Intensive Care Units (PICUs) are full, and the ability to care for the most critically-ill children remains limited by the number of available qualified nurses, particularly on night shifts.
Hospitals continue to hold children in emergency rooms as they await an open bed to admit them. According to the NHA, this has created some instances of hospital diversion and the
rerouting of ambulances.
Most of the pediatric patients are suffering from respiratory viruses; however, the NHA says attribution to any one virus, such as RSV, can not be supported even as RSV surges throughout the population.
Flu, rhinovirus, enterovirus, and other respiratory ailments are also causing children to become seriously ill. A significant number of these children are aged 0‐4 years old.
"I recently had a kid that's only one month old that's actually in the hospital now. The child had to wait 3 days before he went from the emergency room into the floor for care,” said Wesley Robertson, a doctor in Las Vegas.
Several hospitals here in Clark County have requested help to get more pediatric beds and cribs so they can meet the rising demand.
