Amid the new threat of the coronavirus, an old one was also quietly on the rise: More people have suffered severe sepsis in California hospitals in recent years — including a troubling surge in patients who got sepsis inside the hospital itself, state data show.

As the pandemic continues to rage, we are proud to share that we are continuing to expand the reach of our life-saving technology with a new European deal for the Netherlands, Belgium, and Luxembourg.

As a hospitalist on the front lines of COVID-19, I know firsthand how the homeostasis of a hospital is altered when community cases of COVID-19 increase. For example, emergency departments immediately enact novel pathways and protocols for triage, evaluation, and admission (1). Hospitals begin to assess and enhance inpatient capacity, often by opening units not traditionally used for general medical care (for example, postoperative care units) as COVID-19–designated areas (2). Additional tactics, such as decreasing elective surgical cases, merging specialized intensive care units (ICUs), and offering staff moonlighting opportunities to increase critical care capacity, are also pursued. And in short order, hospital command centers spring up to monitor patient flow, streamline communication, and coordinate activities ranging from patient visitation policies to media releases (3).

Preparedness is not a new concept for hospitals and health systems, and it goes far beyond the walls of the hospital itself. Hospitals and health systems prepare for multiple different types of mass casualty incidents, including public health emergencies. 

ViSi Mobile patient monitoring system was utilized in three rounds of COVID-19 Alternative Care at the Georgia World Congress Center in Atlanta, GA to help save lives. San Diego, United States, May 06, 2021 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- AMI Expeditionary Healthcare, a humanitarian medical services organization, chose ViSi Mobile patient monitoring system for use in their collaboration with the State of Georgia and Grady Memorial Hospital for the Atlanta, GA COVID-19 alternative response care facility. ViSi Mobile, from Sotera Wireless, is an advanced wireless patient monitoring solution that not only saves lives but is also greatly helping with staff shortages in the face of the pandemic.