Fire in maternity hospital.

[KnittyNell]

A huge fire has broken out in St Michael’s Maternity Hospital here in Bristol.
My son in law is currently in the Bristol Royal Infirmary which is adjacent to St Michael’s and can see it all unfolding.
I can’t imagine how awful it must be for women in labour or in theatre.
Horrible. 🙁

I didn’t mean to action voting on this subject!!!

Can imagine a fire in any hospital or part of a hospital would be horrible. Not just a maternity hospital.

Indeed but imagine undergoing a c section and having to be evacuated somehow!

Of course any hospital fire is horrible but surely it’s not unreasonable to think it’s worse to evacuate women from a maternity ward who may be in active labour than just a normal ward of patients

How awful. Poor everyone.

That’s terrible. The maternity department in Yeovil Hospital has had to be shut for a few months as well. So poor maternity care in Somerset atm.

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/cvgd91npnxmo.amp

C-sections are relatively quite quick. Same as anyone having an operation though, is it.

I was more concerned that NICU is in that building, I really hope everyone is ok

It's the babies in NICU who are most at risk. Do their neonate cots have an independent power supply?

Well no, not really because anyone having any other operation won't be having a baby pulled out of them 🤨.

Well it would be the same for anyone having major surgery surely?

The fire is now out and all patients are safe and have been moved to others wards and areas of the building.

But you’re saying “ maybe in labour.” You can say that about anything though. What about the patients that can’t move by themselves and are completely immobilised? Coma, full of wires hooked up to a machine etc ICU? They literally can’t do anything without help. I could at least walk when I was in labour. It’s a horrible situation but you can say it’s worse for pregnant mothers.

Maybe slightly more stressful. What if the baby needs nicu time?

Horrible wherever it happens- I feel for those mums and babies, and the staff too.
Any hospital would be awful though, what if your loved one is undergoing heart surgery under GA? Or is EoLC? Lots of patients can’t just be wheeled onto the street.

All hospitals have detailed major incident plans for scenarios like this!

That’s awful - I’m glad to hear that everyone is OK. It will be interesting to hear how the fire started.

But it usually takes ten mins for a c section, you can perform an emergency c-sections anywhere. It doesn’t have to be in a ward. Plenty of paramedics do this in peoples houses. But heart surgery for example you can’t do that anywhere can you? 🤔

Hopefully you'd be unconscious for heart surgery so unaware unlike a spinal block

Are you sure paramedics do c sections in people's houses? Seems unlikely.

Do you think patients who are under GA are just asleep? It’s a major undertaking, a specialist anaesthetist has to be present, you’re often intubated on high flow oxygen, and attached to machines administering anaesthetic medicine, your blood has to be pumped artificially around your body, the innermost parts of your body are exposed to the elements, the surgeon can’t just sew you up and take up where they left off later on. It’s a huge operation (both literally and figuratively).

Never ever heard of that! They deliver babies but not heard of a c section like that.

Paramedics do c-sections in people's houses? I've never heard of this happening.

Paramedics perform c-sections in peoples houses. What on earth are you talking about? The average c-section take about 45 minutes so no idea where you’ve got 10 minutes from!

Maybe on Holby City? No anaesthetic or surgeon needed!