Citing rising RSV cases, Primary Children’s delaying some surgeries

SALT LAKE CITY — Intermountain Primary Children’s Hospital has canceled about 50 non-emergency procedures and surgeries that were scheduled for this week.

The cancellations are directly related to high patient volumes which are exceeding “typical winter surge levels,” according to the hospital. Specifically, the hospital is dealing with a surge in respiratory illnesses that include Respiratory Syncytial Virus Infection, or RSV.

A hospital representative said the delays will help ensure the hospital can continue to meet patient needs. 

“Our patient volumes are exceeding typical winter surge levels, and the hospital has been at or near capacity for several consecutive weeks,” said Dustin Lipson, administrator of Intermountain Primary Children’s Hospital.

“This is combined with high volumes of patients coming to the emergency department for other various illnesses and injuries.”

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention describes RSV as a common respiratory virus. But it can be serious for infants and older adults and is the most common cause of pneumonia in children under age 1.

The hospital has delayed pre-scheduled and non-emergency procedures that would require an inpatient stay.

Lipson said that the hospital is contacting the patient families to reschedule the surgeries. “To be clear, patients who urgently need surgeries and procedures will receive them, as is always the case.”

The number of procedures that will be canceled equals about 10% of all such procedures at the hospital said the representative in a press release.

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