Weaning off ventilator

[Jbujanda82]

So my father is doing a bit better, he hasn’t had any more complications and has been moved to an LTACH to help with weaning. They stopped giving him fentanyl a day ago, but is still not following commands etc. In y’all’s experiences how long did it take for your loved ones to start being more alert and start following commands? His eyes are open and I know he can hear us because his heart rate, blood pressure go up when we FaceTime him.

[Rhyl1 Partner Moderator ICUsteps]

Everyone is different but if a patient has been receiving sedation and opiates for weeks then it takes quite a while to be cleared from the body. Only after that happens will they start to wake up

[Sepsur]

It took me 11 days - part of why it took so long is that I’d had kidney failure - liver & kidneys rid body of toxins - sedatives are toxins. I was also proned, so medical staff have to sedate & paralyse to a deeper level ( generally) so that you synch with ventilator better - more sedative = longer to wake up. Some people also have a greater or lesser chemical tolerance - ie a regular heavy drinker, user of drugs ( prescribed or otherwise) might have a higher tolerance and therefore need a greater level of sedation. This in turn means longer to wake ( possibly)

In the end there is no norm - just a vague outline.

[Fafa11 in reply to Sepsur]

Hi Sepsur, thank you for this message. My dad also has kidney problems, so I saw some similarities in your story. He was on a ventilator for three days. Two days after being taken off the ventilator, he is awake but hallucinating sometimes. How long before you were coherent and fully aware? Also, when did you get to eat by mouth? Thanks so much!

[Sepsur in reply to Fafa11]

I think I answered you directly 😊 on your post. Hope your Dad is improving

[Color27]

From the moment my mom opened her eyes she never responded to us on Facetime. She also never responded to the nurses. They were not able to wean her off fentanyl so she still has a patch. Her blood pressure, heart rate, and breathing would also increase when we talk to her via Facetime. The day of her transfer to LTACH, the nurse told me that she made eye contact with her for a few seconds but she was still very drowsy. During her transfer from ICU to LTACH, I waited for her at the ambulance parking just so I can see her because it has been more than 2 months since I last saw her in person. I called on her as she was being wheeled out, she opened her eyes and I could immediately tell she recognized my voice and was trying to turn her head on my direction. I came closer to her and she responded to me by nodding her head. I try to talk to her multiple times on facetime but never got the same response as I did in person. I thought maybe there's something in facetime and ICU delirium where she thinks she's hearing voices and its all a dream. Who knows.

Fortunately, 1 visitor (my father) was allowed to visit her at the LTACH, and we saw a big difference on her neurological state. Everyday he visits, even if it's just an hour. She started to become more and more awake and responsive. Although she still could not talk because of vent and trach, she responds appropriately to our questions by nodding and shaking her head. She's also very weak, but now she's able to point and use her left hand to express her needs.

[Sylvee1]

My Dad was in ICU Ona ventilator back in April with COVID, it took him a good week to wake up and properly respond. They did say the longer you are on a ventilator the longer it takes to wake, he was ventilated for 10 days. Sending hugs