COVID-19 Fourth Wave Fatigue Becomes a Factor for Alberta’s STARS Air Ambulance Teams | The Canadian News

As the fourth wave of COVID-19 continues to weigh heavily on Alberta’s healthcare system, STARS Air Ambulance is also experiencing an increase in patient transfers to and from hospitals facing issues with ICU capacity.

From Sept. 1 to Sept. 22, STARS said it transported 255 patients, of whom 51 were confirmed to have COVID-19 or were showing COVID-19 symptoms. It represents 20 percent of the STARS mission volume, a big jump from the 11 COVID-19 positive patients transferred in the same time frame last year.

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The increase has added complexity for the crews on board. They wear masks, goggles and a gown when transferring COVID-19 patients, and the helicopter undergoes a thorough post-mission disinfection process. Many of the patients also need intensive care.

“The longer this goes on, we start to see symptoms of fatigue,” said STARS Air Ambulance Chief Operating Officer Mike Lamacchia. “This is grueling work and the patients that we are transporting right now are really sick, so it takes a lot of physical and mental energy to take care of these patients.”

Front line managers check in with crew members on a daily basis to make sure they are doing well.

“If they are not well, we give them a wait time and we make sure they have the proper rest period to see the next patient,” Lamacchia said.

The health authority tells STARS where to transfer patients. With the capacity of the ICU constantly changing, STARS has conducted many more missions to hospitals that are not normally in its circuit.

“Traditionally, we leave the city and go back to the city,” Lamacchia said. “We will not necessarily be transporting to Calgary due to the ICU’s bed capacity. We could go to Lethbridge, we could go to Red Deer, we could go to other centers where there is space.

“The capacity of ICU beds changes daily, so we have to respond to that.”