Non-urgent surgeries and procedures scheduled for children have been delayed at Intermountain Primary Children’s Hospital through Nov. 28 amid a high volume of patients, the hospital announced Thursday.
The hospital in a news release said caregivers have been treating “extremely high” numbers of patients for months, including both COVID-19 and non-COVID-19 patients as well as children with respiratory illnesses and trauma-related injuries.
“We are contacting patient families to reschedule non-urgent surgeries and procedures,” Dustin Lipson, administrator of Primary Children’s Hospital, said in a statement Thursday.
Children who urgently need surgeries and procedures will still receive them, Lipson said.
The hospital said patient safety is priority. The delays are meant to ensure appropriate staffing levels and resources at the hospital to best meet patient needs, the news release states.
“Our patient volumes now exceed typical winter surge levels, which is unprecedented,” Lipson said. “Our typical in-patient volume this time of year is about 180 patients. In peak respiratory season, we average 230 patients. Yesterday, we cared for 249 hospitalized patients.”