The effects of the heatwave felt in a Villeurbanne emergency department: "We are in a phase of heightened vigilance"

“A heatwave is like the flu; we know the wave is coming. We have to prepare for it.” confides Florence Fayard-Gonon, an emergency physician at the Villeurbanne Médipôle (Greater Lyon metropolitan area). Phone in one hand, table of available beds in the other, the doctor in jogging sneakers regulates the flow of patients in the emergency department of the private healthcare facility of collective interest, created in 2019 from the merger of several Lyon clinics.

On the ground floor of the modern buildings, the situation is relatively calm on the morning of Friday, August 15. Sprains, discomfort, fever, dehydration—nothing life-threatening. In the medical-care station, nicknamed "the hive," a dozen professionals work without stress, one eye on the monitors. Since midnight, 76 people have been admitted. The day before, the number rose to 270 for the day. "In periods of uncertainty and tension, we observe quite unexpected, very uneven peaks in attendance, the highest often coming after the weekends. This phenomenon of variations is accentuated in the summer, the calm follows the storm," notes Florence Fayard-Gonon, between two calls to the geriatric ward, to inquire about available beds. "The key is organization and understanding between departments, so that patients are directed to the right place quickly." The slightest imbalance in the chain can make the situation uncontrollable, that's the lot of emergencies of course, but with the heatwave, we are on the alert" , said the emergency doctor, a permanent smile on his face.

You have 74.31% of this article left to read. The rest is reserved for subscribers.