Until this Tuesday, the Jesenice hospital was admitting patients from the country’s biggest hospital, UKC Ljubljana, but now the doctors at the Jesenice hospital have their hands full with patients from the Jesenice region.A total of 120 people were treated at the Jesenice hospital on Tuesday for ice-related injuries, the hospital said.

18 people had to undergo emergency surgery at the Jesenice hospital – 7 of them were from the Ljubljana region. 11 of the 18 patients had to undergo surgery for injuriesrelated to falls on the ice, and 6 of them had sustained injuries to their head. Since the hospital was overcrowded, 4 patients were sent home, and they are now waiting to be called back for surgery. The hospital’s surgical and internal wards are full, and they may have to cancel several surgeries, the hospital said.

Surgical teams working around the clock
More than 60 patients have been treated at the UKC Ljubljana hospital on Wednesday for ice-related injuries. Thankfully, there were fewer serious injuries than on Tuesday. According to Dragica Maja Smrke, the deputy medical director of the hospital’s surgical ward, most of the injuries they see involve wrist fractures. Older people, on the other hand, usually fracture their hips. Due to this recent spike in injuries, the hospital had to hire more staff. On Wednesday, surgical teams had to come to the rescue of a total of 23 patients who have been waiting for surgery since Tuesday.

Seniors hit by flu outbreak while children suffer from viral infections
Hospitals have also seen an increase in young patients suffering from RSV (respiratory syncytial virus), a disease especially dangerous for young children. Tatjana Mrvič, the head of the infectious diseases ward at the UKC Ljubljana hospital, said that this virus poses an even greater danger to children than the flu, as it can cause apnea. 22 young children have been diagnosed with RSV this week alone. Parents are advised to keep children under the age of 1 at home because the disease spreads easily in cramped spaces.

Marija Pfeifer, the medical director of UKC Ljubljana, said that the epidemiology unit at the Peter Držaj hospital is being expanded in an effort to free up 40 beds for flu patients.

A. Č.; L. L.; translated by D. V.