When Boris went into ICU

[sleepyhorse]

Do you think Boris was more poorly than what we were being told when he went into ICU? A lot of people seem to think his condition was being played down so as to stop the nation panicking?

Nazir Afzal (former chief prosecutor) said on Twitter his brother was in the same ICU ward as Boris. I have spent time in St Thomas ICU as a relative. If there are private rooms, I don’t know where they’d be.

www.google.co.uk/amp/s/amp.theguardian.com/world/2020/apr/07/coronavirus-uk-intensive-care-units-the-point-is-to-keep-people-alive

@CheekyWeeGobshite - I’ve seen the inside of several and no-one was able to get out of bed. Barely on HDU either...
Plenty get propped into a sitting position so when I read Boris was “sitting up” I thought oh aye

long

'Before Covid-19 arrived, St Thomas’ hospital in central London – where Boris Johnson is being treated – had 35 intensive care beds spread across three units on floors one, two and six of its building, which faces the Houses of Parliament across the Thames. The three units are a combination of large, open rooms and private side rooms. It treated some of the first confimed cases of Covid-19 in those rooms back in early February.'

Early mobilisation (including walking) is (or should be) encouraged, even in ICUs, especially in non-ventilated patients like BJ. Google it.

Slightly off topic, but interesting that they treated cases in early February. Those people must have caught the virus in mid January (approx 5 days incubation plus 11 days before it’s gets to the point of needing ICU). So why are we still being fed the line that COVID wasn’t here until February?

@Otherrooms do you have a link?

If you weren’t at least a bit unnerved by him going into ICU I’d have to assume you’ve never watched TV or read newspapers... A leader going into ICU or dying or whatever is exactly when hostile foreign powers decide to act. So then you don’t just have a dead leader, no clear chain of command, a pandemic, you also have Argentinians invading the Falklands and Russia annexing Shetland.

Some patients do indeed get out of bed. It's a recognised part of the recovery process. They may only sit out for 1/2 an hour so, some cannot weight bear so hoists and sam hall turners are required, it usually requires 3 or 4 staff because of all the monitoring attachments, vent tubing etc but it is definitely done. Physios will also mobilise patients who are able. In my experience it's a massive psychological boost, often the patients hate it but in the long run it's a good thing

I was made to move from my bed into a chair on ICU. They want to get you moving asap.

The mail has a piece that I think is clearly an obituary at the end, but modified slightly in view of his recovery! www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-8211051/Boris-Johnson-came-close-death-battle-against-coronavirus.html

Moving from a bed to a chair and being propped sitting up is different to 'walking around' !

Absolutely no doubt that patients are encouraged to move but if they can stroll freely around the ward unaided they will have already been moved from ICU

To answer a question earlier - no I don't work in ICU /critical care but I have been a patient there.

Yes, am sure that the concern was that financial markets-- people would panic.

Hence Dominic Raab stating that it was a, 'collective,' cabinet and using lots of reassuring words.

Just to add to the nonsense that patients don’t get up quickly - they really bloody do. DH was on ventilation for over a week, they had him sitting up within 48 hours and trying to walk shortly after that. He was still in ICU at that point. You lose a lot of muscle wastage when ventilated so they do like you to get your muscles working much sooner.

FWIW I thought Boris was more ill than they were letting on - DH was ventilated when on a similar amount of O2 to Boris (not Covid19 though but pneumonia). So it would be appropriate for him to be in ICU and they need to keep an eye on people that unwell, as when they decide to ventilate they do it extremely quickly.

I also believe he was very ill. Did anyone else notice on Tuesday morning breakfast television, most of the presenters were all wearing muted or dark colours, Suzanna and Piers were and then Holly was wearing all black on This Morning which is a definite change from her usual colour palette. It made me wonder if they were expecting to have to release bad news!

None of our patients have had such a short stay in ICU, 2 or 3 days with corona virus is not long at all. The Times said he was on 4 ltrs fio2. Not a vast amount of oxygen but I appreciate that as pm he would be treated slightly differently.

Herman, he was obviously very ill but not it seems to classically in a way corona patients are.

Would something else put him at risk.
He needed oxygen but not that much, seems like he's been barley conscious... Would something else have been triggered?

He could still be infectious.

Well he's recorded a very passionate speech and looks very poorly.
He shows a huge amount of gratitude towards the staff who have cared for him and he appeared quite shaken.
Maybe he will vote in favour of NHS staff pay increases next time.

I think he was ill but not as ill as most on intensive care because a) he's the pm - what dr wants to lose the pm on their watch? b) I think the medical staff wanted him to see the severity of what's happening on critical care. Being alongside patients who are being ventilated and dying to open his eyes to what's happening.

Yes. I assumed he was desperately poorly. He won't be right for a long time. I hope he looks after himself (first time for everything) and doesn't try and rush back.
I thought he looked very unwell before they took him in.