An anesthesiology resident reflects on the dual challenges of the COVID-19 virus, and the misinformation that can make things worse.

As with every medical doctor, there have been many moments of firsts in my albeit short medical career. The first day of medical school. The first day of clinical rotations. The first day of residency. The first day a patient dies. Each of those days came with their own unique challenges, each of which shaped me into the medical doctor I am today. 

I learned very early that what sets me apart in my career is how willing I am to pick myself up, dust myself off, and charge forward after being knocked down. That is what the majority of us in our respective fields do. Because let's face it - we get knocked down more often than we all care to admit. I would like to think that my experiences before did prepare me for this pandemic. But the truth is, all of my medical school and residency training did not really prepare me to face this.

Walking into what are now called “COVID units” at our training sites and seeing helpless patients, on ventilators, slowly dying and not being able to do much about it. Taking these patients to the Operating Room, and having to forgo certain safety steps that would typically be done to ensure a safe anesthetic because these steps will now put the healthcare team and potentially other patients at risk. 

As emotionally draining as this ordeal has been, going into the hospital and having to do my job every day has rarely been the difficult part. It has been more difficult not being able to see my family for the past 2 months, for fear of accidentally exposing them to the virus.

It would be one thing if I (30 years old and healthy) contract the virus. Odds are, I would most likely survive it. If I exposed my 67-year-old mother with multiple co-morbidities to this virus, her odds would not be as favorable. I have to think about that.

It has been extremely sad having to watch other healthcare workers who are considered by the general public to be trustworthy sources of credible information continuously disseminating false information on social media either about the virus, or our handling of it. 

An example of this is the recent feed that went around claiming that patients were being killed by placing them on ventilators. This idea was spread by a nurse who was frightened by the high death rates her friends saw in COVID-19 patients who were placed on ventilators.

Critically ill patients are more likely to be placed on ventilators to maintain adequate ventilation/oxygenation. They are also most likely to die from the disease. To say that placing patients on ventilators is killing them is preposterous. They certainly would die without adequate oxygenation.

Correlation does not equal causation. Information like this when out is difficult to stop or correct when it comes from a "health care worker.” I use this term very loosely in this case. 

I will end by echoing what most people have said about this already. We are in this together. And we can only get through it by continuing to stick together. 

We all have to fight in one way or another, be it on the front lines taking care of the sick or in our own communities practicing safe social distancing guidelines to halt the spread.

Charles Penn, Anesthesiology Resident, Milwaukee, USA