Do they only give oxygen in intensive care?

[SpringRainbow]

My husband is currently in hospital but he isn’t sure where in the hospital he currently is. He isn’t sure what they are planning on doing or how long they are planning on keeping him in.

All he knows is that he was brought in by ambulance and is in a bed and is currently on oxygen.

I am just trying to figure out where he may be and all my results keep pointing to intensive care, however I’m not sure if it’s just Google giving worst case scenarios.

No, every bed in the hospital has access to oxygen. It's only when the levels drop with hi Flo oxygen they might need to escalate up to icu or if a normal o2 mask isn't cutting it.

No, they give it on other wards as well.

Nope - everywhere in a hospital has oxygen and it's a very, very common treatment when someone is first admitted to hospital.

Hope you get some good news soon.

No oxygen is readily available in most wards. He is more likely to be in a specialist ward depending on his condition ie. Cardiac or a general medical ward. In ITU few patients would be able to text.

If he was taken in to hospital via ambulance and hasn’t been there that long, he’s likely in a&e majors.

You could always phone ED and find out which ward he went to. Or switchboard might be able to help. Of if your husband’s well enough to text/call you he should be well enough to ask one of the staff and let you know. Oxygen is available on all the wards.

Switchboard should be able to locate him and put you through to relevant ward/department. How long ago did he arrive?

They can give it anywhere, I have brittle asthma and have had it even in wards that aren't respiratory wards.
If he's just in it's likely to be A&E, or a bit longer then an admissions ward.

Are you getting confused with intubation? That's a much more invasive procedure than an oxygen mask.

I'd be suprised if he could text if he was intubated, as they keep you sedated, even though not always fully.

Oxygen is given/available on every hospital ward

You can call admissions to find out where he is or he just needs to ask any member of staff

Oxygen is a very common treatment, call admissions and find out where he is, or he can ask a staff member. Do you mean intubation, that's rather different and he wouldn't be texting you.

Of course oxygen is given everywhere in a hospital. Why would anyone think it's only intensive care?

Stop googling and just phone the hospital and ask where he is.

If he was taken in by ambulance you have 2 options , call the switchboard and they can try to locate him or ring the Emergency dept and they will tell you . Hope he is ok OP and you find out what is going on .

If he was so unwell he went straight to intensive care, I doubt very much he would be able to text. The ambulance will have taken him to A&E and he’s almost certainly still there.

Hope you are okay op.

Call the switchboard and they should be able to direct you.

He's probably still in A&E. Do you know what hospital he's in? If he was in ICU he probably would be incapable of texting.

Everyone stays in the A&E bay until their Covid-19 test comes back. He will not be moved onto a ward until they know he is negative. My husband had to self refer into A&E and spent hours on a trolley until the6 had his results back.

I've text from ICU and HDU but I'm a hospital veteran and wasn't freaking out too much.
RubyViolet, I'm assuming patients are moved if really needed?
I can't imagine, or at least hope no one is left in A&E if the really need Resuss/ICU/HDU?

@IHaveBrilloHair

I've text from ICU and HDU but I'm a hospital veteran and wasn't freaking out too much. RubyViolet, I'm assuming patients are moved if really needed? I can't imagine, or at least hope no one is left in A&E if the really need Resuss/ICU/HDU?

A&E is a place of safety. If a patient needed urgent ICU care, the ICU doctors would go to them, treat them until they were stable (ish) then transfer to ICU once stable (ish). You don't transfer very unstable patients willingly, because they can deteriorate enroute. There are portable oxygen cylinders, portable ventilators, etc., so no treatment would be withheld in A&E.

My son has had oxygen in A+E.
I was in hospital the other day, it took a very long time to be admitted to a ward, and I was in a midway holding bed, as the hospital were struggling with space due to a backlog of admissions, as a catch up from the Covid peaks. It took me ages to find out where I was!

...hope your DH is ok.

@RubyViolet

Everyone stays in the A&E bay until their Covid-19 test comes back. He will not be moved onto a ward until they know he is negative. My husband had to self refer into A&E and spent hours on a trolley until the6 had his results back.

This was not the case for me 2 weeks ago.

It’s on each bed in the children’s hospital in Leeds. When I was in with DC2 last year for septic arthritis she fiddled with the knobs and scared me to death!