“Papanikolau” hospital: 44-year-old anesthesiologist collapses after 14 hours on call – Newsbomb – News

Last Saturday, Ioanna Dimitropoulou had finished another shift with a long presence outside the operating rooms and was about to leave the hospital when suddenly a strong feeling of exhaustion and numbness appeared on her face.

A 44 year old Anesthesiologist collapsed with Paralysis In “Papanikolau” Hospital her Thessaloniki After a 14-hour shift.

Report: Fani Harisi

Murder rate and shortage of anesthesiologists in its hospitals Thessaloniki A very sad reflection on the face of Iona Dimitropoulos, who luckily suffered a stroke in the hospital, and after another painful shift, he spent more than 10 hours in the operating theaters and then provided his medical services. Other medical procedures outside the operating room.

Last Saturday, Ioanna Dimitropoulou had finished another shift with a long presence outside the operating rooms and was about to leave the hospital when suddenly a strong feeling of exhaustion and numbness appeared on her face.

Fortunately the anesthesiologist inside the hospital premises told his colleagues that he was not competent to describe his symptoms.

He described to Newsbomb.gr exactly what happened and said that the doctors at the “Papanikolau” hospital even make 12 emergency calls a month.

“At the end of my shift I felt a strong sense of well-being, my face went numb and my colleagues immediately laid me down in the resuscitation area where we have stretchers and that's when they realized something was going on. The neurologist from the Emergency Department (ED) had also arrived because the hospital was on general duty that day. , we found out it was a stroke, and they started thrombolysis as recommended in these cases,” said the 44-year-old anesthesiologist. .

He described in detail the situation where some of the doctors working there, especially in “Papanikolu” hospital and the dying anesthetists, were dying physically and mentally due to lack of medical staff. Other Hospitals of Thessaloniki.

“Even after 12 months, the situation in “Pappani” hospital has not changed. We do 10-12 shifts each, tough shifts where we have to be in the operation theater for endless hours but out of the operation theatre. In October we called another one (SS anesthesiologist). In mid-October, a colleague nearly lost an eye to an infection, and at the end of December another fell after a shift and broke his arm and is on sick leave. We're collapsing one by one, I mean, not only mine, but mine happened in the hospital area, and I'm very lucky for that,” said Dr.

Mrs. Dimitropoulou attributes his stroke to months of endless hours of work with no time to rest, both physically and mentally.

“Due to this situation I had a stroke. “We have been working long hours for twelve, thirteen months and we can't take it anymore,” he asserted.

In the last 24 hours before suffering the stroke, Ms Dimitropoulou described to Newsbomb.gr, “I was in surgery the day before from 8am to 10pm, then from 10pm to 11.30pm I was in another place. Apart from the operating room, medical surgery, I slept in an emergency room that wasn't heated enough and they didn't know about fixing it beforehand and I woke up.But you understand how cold it is at night here in the countryside (ps Papanicolaou Hospital is outside the urban fabric and inside Shek Chou), 12 hours in difficult conditions. Worked straight, so you realize it's not a good shift. None of our shifts are good.”

The 44-year-old anesthesiologist had no prior health problems when he suddenly felt sick and listless that morning. Today he is still hospitalized and his condition is good “though the problem with his leg”, as the doctors said, he will manage.

“I am still in the hospital, my leg is still not good. This is what worries me, it will come back but they told me, it will be fixed. Yesterday I received a complaint, I came to shift, I leave with a cane, that is, I pull my leg,” he said.

Mrs. Dimitropoulou, speaking about the grueling working hours experienced by doctors in public hospitals, apart from the impact it has on their health, said, “It's not entirely safe for patients, and surely something will go wrong at some point. It's done to patients, and everyone knows that.” He added that taking legal action against the hospital was not his primary goal.

The Board of Directors of the Association of Hospital Physicians of Thessaloniki (ΕNIΘ) also took a stand on the matter, condemning the “overwork and work intensification of health workers, which in many cases exceeds the limits of human endurance. In this case, an anesthetist at the Papanikolou General Hospital who fell unconscious after a 24-hour shift. One came and stayed in the operating room for 16 hours. It was not even 100 days before the hospital anesthetists cried out. Those who had reached their limits due to understaffing. Unfortunately, human lives were prophetically declared to be at risk.”