Weaning from the ventilator

[Rgsable]

Question on weaning: when people come off the ventilator and the tracha is removed? Do some people die in the last 24 hrs or after a week😱?

[Sepsur]

How do you mean? I don’t quite understand your question?

Do you mean - when are you out of the woods?

[Rgsable in reply to Sepsur]

I mean when people are off the ventilator after weeks. Do they die within the first 24 hrs? Someone told me this today and I wasn't sure if this is true or making sense?

[Sepsur in reply to Rgsable]

I don’t know - I’m afraid - it’s safe to say that every stage for me was fraught with new dangers - most of it was picking up infection, whether from other patients, trachy scar, etc etc.

[mso94 in reply to Rgsable]

So a person can be removed from the ventilator for two reasons -- either because they are improving or because they will be unable to survive and must be taken off life support. I imagine the 24 hour lifespan is probably the estimate for people who are being taken off life support because their doctors and family have decided 'this is enough.'

But for people who are extubated because they are expected to improve, they are not likely to die within 24 hours. The person may (infrequently, but it does happen) need to be reintubated if they are not breathing well enough on their own, but I wouldn't say that the first 24 hours after extubation are critical. Most patients do well without the ventilator, and even those who don't do well can be reintubated.

[Rgsable in reply to mso94]

Thank you

[Sepsur in reply to Sepsur]

The figures tend to look at 1yr, 2yr & 5yr survival rates after ICU - these are also broken into age bands which makes a huge difference too.

[Rgsable in reply to Sepsur]

Thank you

[VickyC1982]

Well for balance, I was gradually weaned off the ventilator over 5 days. They put me on a sedation hold in the last 24 hours and I came round the afternoon after the sedation hold started. I’m 5 months post admission and it’s a long and sometimes hard recovery. I was expected not to make it but here I am 🙂

[mylko]

i was taken off the ventilator after 5 weeks and seemed okay for 2 days then suddenly everything declined and i was reintubated for a further week. it really is individual to the person and their circumstances / state of health xx