It’s Deadly to Fear the Emergency Room

‘Shelter in place’ doesn’t apply if you’re having a heart attack.

By Yves Duroseau. Dr. Duroseau is chairman of emergency medicine at Lenox Hill Hospital. Excerpts:

"When my hospital discharged its 1,000th Covid-19 patient, it was cause for celebration—a testament to the great work done by selfless health-care workers during this difficult time. Yet that same day, I walked around our emergency room and noticed that it had only about half the volume of patients we normally see on a Thursday. Where did all our patients go?

It is a question shared by many emergency departments in New York City. At Lenox Hill we’ve seen the number of patients complaining of chest pain drop by nearly a quarter, as well as a 39% decrease in patients diagnosed with an acute stroke. Sadly this doesn’t mean New Yorkers are getting healthier. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reports that between March 11 and May 2, the city had 5,293 excess deaths not identified as confirmed or probably associated with Covid-19. Excess mortality means deaths beyond what would normally be expected for that period, based on historical data, suggesting that New Yorkers are dying at an alarming rate from diseases that don’t necessarily have much to do with the virus."