RSV: Wait times at ER climb as more children are sick with virus
Pittsburgh (KDKA) — Cases of RSV are surging among children in the Pittsburgh area, leading to very long wait times in the emergency room.
At one point Wednesday night, the emergency department wait time for UPMC Children's Hospital was more than six hours.
"We got there about noon, and I have never in my life seen a waiting room so packed," Wesley Zaffuto of Cranberry Township said.
Zaffuto took her daughter to the ER at UPMC Children's Hospital on Tuesday for health issues she's been experiencing for weeks, and they waited for more than six hours to be seen.
"There were a lot of babies. My husband was down there with us. It was the saddest thing I've seen, a lot of sick babies there," Zafutto said.
RSV, Respiratory Syncytial Virus, is a respiratory virus that can be serious among children. Dr. Raymond Pitetti, the director of UPMC Children's Emergency Department, said the surge began several weeks ago and it is slowly ramping up daily.
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"We're seeing lots of children coming in with respiratory illnesses, some because of RSV," Pitetti said. "But there are other viruses that are out there, including the flu. We're starting to see cases of flu build. The difference for us is typically we don't see these kinds of cases this early in the year. It's usually later in the fall, winter, early spring."
Pitetti said parents need to be aware of the long wait times at the hospital, as they're seeing more and more patients coming in for RSV and other respiratory illnesses.
"My heart feels for the families and children who are waiting in our waiting room. We're doing the best we can to reduce the wait time. But you're correct, there are times when the wait can get over four, five hours at times, certainly even longer than that," said Pitetti.
"Just completely packed, and I give them so much credit for having to go through what they are having to go through daily right now," said Zaffuto. "It was sad, I've never experienced it with the two that I have."
Dr. Joseph Aracri, system chair of pediatrics with Allegheny Health Network, said AHN is seeing an increase in RSV cases at its outpatient offices."
"We're seeing a lot more than over the last two years," he said. "Remember, for the past two years with the pandemic, kids were separated, they weren't in school, they were wearing masks. These kids did not get sick because they didn't have any exposures. We're seeing our offices are full, and a lot of it is just reassurance. Parents aren't used to having sick kids, having kids with colds."
Doctors say if your child is having RSV symptoms that lead to difficulty breathing, starts wheezing, or is unable to eat, then it's time to go to the emergency room.
"If you think your child and they just have symptoms of a cold, they probably don't have to come to the ER. But if they are having difficulty breathing, they definitely need to come to the ER," Pitetti said.
Pitetti and Aracri said if your child has mild RSV symptoms, you can call their pediatrician or take your child to urgent care.
Aracri added that some home remedies include honey for a cough and elderberry to decrease the length of some viruses.
