Dunedin Hospital went into code black yesterday with fewer than four beds available to admit new patients.
Chief operating officer Vivian Blake told yesterday's Otago District Health Board meeting that there did not appear to be any particular reason for the influx of patients.
Bed shortages were traditionally associated with respiratory illness outbreaks in the winter months she said.
Otago Daily Times files show that there were similar bed shortages in late February and early March last year.
Yesterday elective surgery was not postponed. Further details about what may happen today were not available last night.
Mrs Blake noted that Waikato Hospital recently had a record number of patients at its emergency department.
Board member Dr Branko Sijnja said he understood the Waikato influx was due to alcohol-fuelled student activities and asked if that applied in Dunedin.
Mrs Blake said she had not delved into that to any great depth yet. It appeared the illnesses were general ones and related to elderly patients.
The hospital did get an upsurge in patients when the students returned, but it usually settled.
Student health services worked very well.
Elective surgery was still in catch-up mode after last year's norovirus outbreak.
The hospital now had its full complement of anaesthetists and it hoped this would enable it to reach its targets.
