Influenza protocol saves Senior’s lives.
Published 2:51 pm Thursday, October 2, 2008
NORTH BEND _ Four years ago the influenza virus spread through
the Mount Si Transitional Health Center and killed 13 of its 90 residents.
Determined to not let an outbreak of those proportions hit again, the
nursing home medical staff developed an influenza protocol that proved to be
successful this past flu season.
The protocol consisted of a combination of early detection and
rapid treatment for anyone who experienced flu-like symptoms, which include
high body temperatures, chills, nasal congestion, coughing, sore throat,
body aches and headaches.
The Mount Si Transitional Health Center used the free rapid
diagnostic test kits from Public Health _ Seattle & King County, which can
detect traces of the influenza virus in as little as 10 minutes. Results from
earlier tests would take up to a week to come back, which was often too late for
staff to try to fight the virus.
Once it was determined that a resident was infected, medical staff
would administer a five-day dose of the drug Rimantadine to the patient. And if
it were discovered that an influenza outbreak hit the center _ that is if 10
percent of the population became infected _ then the entire group would be
given half a dose of the drug for 14 days as a precaution.
Medical Director Sabine von Preyss-Friedman and Cathy Scott,
director of nursing services, devised the plan that they hoped would prevent
the death of any of their residents during the flu season.
Their newly created influenza protocol was finally put to the test on
Jan. 10 when the first case of the flu emerged at the nursing home.
The patient was given a dosage of the Rimantadine on Jan. 12, and
within several days, nine more cases popped up.
The medical staff then declared an outbreak and ordered all residents
to take the Rimantadine as a prophylaxis, which proved to be a success.
“If you catch it really early then it’s effective _ only if it’s within
the first two days,” Scott said.
“No one else got the flu because it was done effectively and
quickly,” added Administrator Sandra Bush. “Nobody had to be hospitalized
or died.”
Von Preyss-Friedman said that the residents who did not get the flu
were not harmed by the dosage of Rimantadine they received.
However, there were some potential side effects of the drug, such as nausea; but
the medical staff thought it was better than one possible outcome of the flu
_ death.
“It’s an established medication with a lot of information out there
on it,” she said.
Von Preyss-Friedman presented the protocol to nearly 1,200
medical directors at the recent meeting of the American Medical Director’s
Association in San Francisco. The plan was accepted by many of her
colleagues and she heard information about similar protocols being practiced across
the nation.
Because of its success, the Mount Si Transitional Health Center will
once again have all of their residents vaccinated with the flu shot and the
influenza protocol will be standing by, just in case.
“I feel a lot more comfortable because I know it works,” Scott
said. “I’m convinced that they got well because of this program.”
“We’ll do it again next year,” von Preyss-Friedman added. “And it fits
in with our mission that all patients will receive state-of-the-art care.”
