MGH, Brigham emergency chief resident says virus ‘taking a toll’

BOSTON — On the front lines, healthcare providers are uniquely experiencing the coronavirus outbreak.

Damarcus Baymon, one of six chief residents of emergency medicine at Mass. General Hospital and Brigham and Women’s Hospital, says doctors and nurses are forced to make difficult decisions like never before.

“Between Mass General and the Brigham, we’re seeing a lot of patients who are coming in with severe respiratory illness,” Dr. Baymon said. “This virus is very aggressive, especially when it comes to the elderly and we’re seeing in some young people as well, 40s, 50s. And it’s really taking a toll on individuals and affecting their breathing.”

Baymon says the coronavirus is presenting in different patterns so every day at each hospital can look really different.

“Every morning and afternoon, we have briefings with the group,” he said. “They keep us up to date on the number of patients. They keep us up to date on intubation protocols. They keep us up to date on the personal protective equipment.”

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Baymon says it’s the most consistent communication he’s seen in his medical career.

“It’s vital. There’s so many staff members. There’s so many questions. And when we can all come together as a group, we can answer those questions,” he said. “And everyone is on the same page when we go and we talk to patients and that makes patient care that much more effective.”

Baymon said the emotional strain it has placed on his staff is immense.

“The emotional strain is definitely heavy. When they go home, they’re afraid to bring the virus home and they have to completely scrub down and decon themselves and that’s emotional because if a person gets ill, be it your spouse or your child, it takes a toll on you and that part is hard to reconcile,” he said.

He said the shortage of personal protective equipment is something he never thought he would see.

“It’s something that is very important. At least during the briefings, there’s discussions every day regarding the updates and the shipments and where things are coming from,” Baymon said. “And that gives us hope that at least there are teams working to make sure that we’re protected because that’s the most important part.”

It’s not just the shortages of protective equipment, but concern over intensive care beds and ventilators.

“We’re intubating a lot of patients at a rate we never thought we would be and we’re having to make those tough ethical decisions about ventilators that we never thought we’d experience as well,” he said.

That’s why he’s stressing the importance of ongoing research and the work of social distancing.

“Learning more about how we can treat the virus can help us, hopefully decrease some of those ethical decisions. But our healthcare systems will be overwhelmed at the rate this virus is spreading,” Baymon said. “If we don’t practice the social distancing measures that have been enacted for us, it will spread. It’s very important.”

He says other countries have proven the social distancing is consistently helping decrease the spread of the virus. Another important and informed voice telling us how vital this is.

Baymon says he’s aware of mental health in this situation and is working out in his back yard and journaling to help his emotions.

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