First intensive care unit opened for men suffering from cold

Münster (dpo) - There’s finally hope for the critically ill! The Münster University Hospital has set up an intensive care unit exclusively for the treatment of male patients suffering from coughs, colds, or even both. A specially trained team provides 24/7 care.

This “long overdue treatment site”, as Chief Physician Dr Klaus Schaffers, MD, calls it, will primarily serve men between the ages of 18 and 85. “It is well known, that this group are particularly severely affected by colds, and therefore need intensive care in order to save their lives.”

He knows what he’s talking about: Chief Physician Dr Schaffers, MD, himself narrowly escaped death from flu twice last winter.

The treatment of these victims of the cold starts as soon as they are on their way to intensive care: the afflicted patient is taken to hospital in an ambulance with an emergency doctor present, and provided with sufficient amounts of oxygen on the way. In the case of a blocked nose and sore throat, a specialist will have been requested in advance over the radio.
In the meantime, the patient’s relatives receive psychological support. If the patient’s fever rises above the dangerous level of 99.86 °F (37.7 °C), a hospital priest may be summoned if desired.
“Should our patients actually recover from the flu, of course we also offer a twelve-week rehabilitation programme”, says Schaffers.
To date, there has been no satisfactory explanation as to why men in particular suffer so frequently from life-threatening colds. First examination results concerning this are expected from the intra-hospital research group in about 17 weeks’ time, as soon as team leader Kai Triemitz has been cured of his cold.
fed, (dan, ssi); Picture above: Shutterstock, Picture on the right: Fotolia; first published 19-12-2016
Read the German version HERE.