5 4 • O U T P A T I E N T S U R G E R Y M A G A Z I N E • J U L Y 2 0 2 0
How did the coronavirus impact your facility?
We planned to handle an overflow of non-infected ICU
patients from other hospitals so they could handle
the surge of infected patients. But it was clear
that wouldn't be enough. We then increased
our capacity by converting our main hospi-
tal's ASC into a 16-bed ICU within 48 hours.
While we filled that makeshift ICU with
COVID-19 patients from our partner hospi-
tal, we increased capacity by 16 more ICU
beds. It was done on the fly and involved
staff at every level.
What was it like to work in the epicenter of the
pandemic?
It was a full team commitment to create an
ICU in our ambulatory surgery floor.
Logistically, there were many challenges, but the
hospital harnessed the resources needed to create
a fully functioning ICU in a few days. There was a
lot of uncertainty, but staff was dedicated to the
task and collaborated and supported each other
every step of the way. Personally, it was stressful
but rewarding. I chose to be away from my family
to minimize their exposure. This allowed me to
fully focus on ICU patient care.
Q & A
Critical Care at the Epicenter of COVID-19
Sean Garvin, MD
Anesthesiologist on the frontlines of the pandemic response.
