Coughing while on ventilator

[pitachinachick]

My husband continues to be on ventilator and is not waking up. We are on Day 10 . There have been no changes. He shows no motion and does not move when touched. The pneumonia seems to have cleared. Today the nurse mentioned that he has been coughing a lot. Is coughing a good sign ? could that mean an increase in strength? Don't want to get my hopes up but waiting for a glimmer of hope. Has anyone experienced this?

[DrARDS]

Is this Covid pneumonia? My Dad was ventilated for ~8 weeks.

[Rgsable]

My husband took 3 weeks to fully wakes up. Has he got a trachea? If yes then coughing is good sign according to the doctors. It helps to clear mucous and prevent pneumonia.

[Sepsur]

The team looking after me remarked to my wife, what a strong cough I had, I was still under, which she could attest to since most winters I’d pick up a cough and be banished to the spare room so she could sleep😊.

They said that my cough was one of those determining factors that saved my life. It meant that I was clearing my lungs of all the crap.

[Woo2]

Coughing is a good sign, and it's early days yet.

Don't give up hope.

[DrARDS]

Coughing is defo a good sign. It’s one of the key criteria for extubation.

If you are coughing, you are clearing mucus and your risk of recurrent pneumonia and in turn sepsis is dropping.

Your alveoli in your lungs are moving and your overall lung function is becoming more voluntary rather than dependent on the ventilator.

This in turn, means the pressures to ventilate the lungs can be reduced and the patient can progress to CPAP and eventually nasal flow oxygen.

Keeping my fingers crossed for you and your loved one! 🙏🏽🤞🏾