Beaumont Hospital Troy reschedules inpatient elective surgeries amid virus surge

The Detroit News

As COVID-19 cases climb in Metro Detroit, Beaumont Hospital in Troy is rescheduling inpatient elective surgeries, representatives said Friday.

All outpatient elective surgeries are still on, Bob Ortlieb, a spokesman for Beaumont Health, told The Detroit News in an email.

Beaumont Hospital, Troy

"Daily, Beaumont hospitals continue to assess all surgeries on a case by case basis," he said.

The news came a day after at least eight hospitals across Michigan were listed at full capacity for COVID-19 patients.

Beaumont Health had issued an "urgent warning" that its number of hospitalized patients has risen from 128 on Feb. 28 to more than 800 on Thursday, more patients than experienced during the fall surge of coronavirus cases. Beaumont's Farmington Hills, Royal Oak and Troy hospitals were listed as filled — at 100% capacity, according to the Michigan Health and Hospital Association's database. 

The Southfield-based system urged Metro Detroit residents to "personally take immediate steps" to help to curb the spread of the coronavirus as most of its eight hospitals reach 95% capacity.

On Friday, Michigan added 8,955 new COVID-19 cases and 40 deaths, with the state leading the nation in new infections and hospitalizations for two weeks.

The latest figures bring the state's total number of cases to 779,777 and deaths to 16,771 since the virus was first detected in March 2020, according to the state Department of Health and Human Services.

During the week of April 10, Michigan led the nation in percent positivity, case rates and hospitalizations, which have been increasing for four consecutive weeks.

Deaths have increased 39% since last week. The state also has the eighth highest death rate, according to the CDC's COVID data tracker.

In a statement Friday, Jamie Brown, a critical care nurse at Ascension Borgess Hospital in Kalamazoo and president of the Michigan Nurses Association, noted the impact of the surge.

"Nurses are exhausted. Many hospitals are close to 100% capacity. RNs around the state are being put in the impossible situation of having to decide which patient to attend to," Brown said.

"Nurses are working up to 18 hours at a time, often without breaks. We are begging for everyone in the community to do their part. Stay home. Wear a mask. Get a vaccine when you are able. We are barely able to keep our heads above water. We are in crisis. We need our communities’ help.”