“Relieved” but “still under pressure”, carers of surgical revitalization at Bicotre Hospital near Paris, “find your daily life”, Kovid-19 patients are slowly giving way to “normal patients”.

“Currently, we have six Kovid patients”, at the height of the third wave against 28, tells AFP Professor Jacques Duranto, head of service. “We take a little breath!” They say that after dealing with Kovid and non-Kovid emergencies.

The entrance to the Surgical Intensive Care Unit is bathed by the light and sound of Lauryn Hill, whose “Killing Me Softly” escapes from a room. A little further, the patient suffering from cerebral edema is put to artificial sleep.

Nurse Melanie, who has been working for seven years, says, “We are relieved to find our normal patients, which we like to do.”

In addition to many trauma patients (road or domestic accidents, attack victims, etc.), cranial trauma, cerebrovascular accidents, Surgical Sion takes care of patients coming out of a complex operation or whose condition worsens during surgery.

“But now we are facing a very significant wave of departures: caregivers are tired, bored, or are resuming their professional project for some time,” says Melanie. A situation is once again synonymous with overtime, a vacation of work days, “I don’t spend days at home”.

“I’m going to put a tube in your mouth,” warns thirty-something before sucking the saliva of an intubated / ventilated patient. Both legs were covered with plaster, one arm was in a sling and the neck was tied around his neck, the man stepped out of the window. “I’m going to look into your eyes”, the maiden continues in a simple blue dress, finally getting rid of Charlottes, FFP2 masks and special Kovid protective glasses.

– “breath of fresh air” –

In critical condition, the patient needs to be examined continuously every four hours.

“We love our jobs, we love our hospital, but we want to be able to work in good conditions, with trained staff who want to be there”, admitted Melanie, “very happy” To join nursing school. In October the anesthesiologist, even if she fears interrupting her studies, returns to intensive care if a new wave of Kovid arrives in her department.

“This decrease in Kovid activity gives teams a little breath of fresh air, but it will not be enough”, warns Stephanie Bonnell, health executive, pointing to a “recognition problem with the intensive care nursing profession,” which Training is done without specific training or financial recognition.

Especially since the coming months do not promise to be easy. If the decline in Kovid patients is “obvious” and life-saving, the activity will have to be maintained at a “high” level so that deprogrammed patients find their way back to the operating theaters during consecutive waves. While ensuring that “teams can take a little breather, relax”, says Jacques Durantou. New challenge.

“We are relieved that service is going on as usual, but we are still under pressure and we haven’t really taken a break” Between the decline and resumption of our traditional activity, to Sarah Bruni, nurse of The Shive She knows.

For two and a half years in service, she has been waiting “impatiently” to go on leave “to change the air”, “to get out of the hospital, from this epidemic”. But with the departure of colleagues and some volunteers to take his place with the “apprehension of return”.