Bengaluru hospitals step up readiness for New Year’s Eve emergencies

Bengaluru: As the city prepares for New Year’s Eve, hospitals are gearing up to manage a surge in emergency cases.

Emergency rooms at most hospitals have been equipped with additional beds and staff for December 31 to ensure prompt treatment, doctors said.

Based on the previous years’ experience, doctors said most cases involve road accidents linked to alcohol consumption, followed by alcohol poisoning in the days after celebrations.

Dr Rajiv Jain, HOD and Consultant, Emergency Medicine, said, “Ten additional beds are being prepared, and our trauma teams and anaesthetists will be on standby in the hospital as we are expecting road accident cases.”

“For the first two days, we see liver- and pancreas-related issues. Emergency cases will be attended to immediately by the trauma team.”

Hospitals are allocating about 15 to 30 per cent more emergency and observation beds for New Year’s Eve.

Dr Suhas Sagar NU, HOD and Lead Consultant, Emergency Medicine, said, “The additional beds allow teams to stabilise patients presenting with trauma, alcohol-related illness, cardiac events and acute abdominal conditions.” He said dedicated trauma teams, operation rooms, imaging services, and blood banks have been placed on alert as nighttime accidents often involve high-impact injuries requiring rapid intervention.

Dr Shailesh Shetty S, Senior Consultant and In-charge, Emergency Medicine, said hospitals are deploying extra staff. “Instead of one resident doctor at night, we are planning to have three doctors." 

Doctors have also reported a rise in assault cases.

Dr Harshitha Sridhar, Head and Consultant, Emergency Medicine, said, “If the number of cases exceeds our emergency room capacity, we activate code yellow, in which additional staff are called in.”

Experts noted that dehydration is also sending people to emergency rooms.

Dr V Viju Wilben, Senior Consultant, Clinical Lead and Programme Director, Department of Emergency Medicine, said, “If a person is already dehydrated, the chances of alcohol poisoning are higher and the risk of a steep drop in blood pressure is associated with it.”

Health dept advisory 

The health department has advised district-level hospitals to be prepared with ambulance services and emergency medicines in view of NYE parties. Hospitals have also been instructed to deploy both men and women staff in the respective wards.

Major cases

1. Road accidents
2. Collapsing while partying
3. Assault cases
4. Alcohol-related issues