ICU not responding

[Lene216]

My daughter went into cardiac arrest and had to be resuscitated twice. She was intubated and the doctors found a blockage and tried putting in a stent but couldn’t get it to work. She was then airlifted to a larger hospital and upon arrival she was taken into the Cardiac Department to try and put in another stent which wasn’t successful. She has been in Cardiac ICU for 2 weeks sedated on the ventilator. After 4 days she was taken off sedation and a tracheostomy was placed. Her vitals are stable. It is now day 7 and she’s still not responding to commands. She opens her eyes when family talks to her but goes back to sleep. She is also a dialysis patient so that could have something to do with her not responding as well.

[garycom]

That sounds so similar to what I went through although I was probably older. I had a series of heart attacks and then an in-hospital cardiac arrest. They tried stents three times. They didn't work. No blood reflow. I was intubated for two months and then had a tracheatomy. I was told my prognosis was "not good" when I came out of the medically induced coma. While in hospital I got sepsis and pneumonia and the antibiotics weren't working at first.

Keep on talking to her. She is in another world, but having attention from friends and family will help her. She will feel that other people want her to live - that she has to live for them. You haven't said how old she is, but if she has friends, they should try and visit as well. You may not think she is noticing, but a part of her brain is.

I was in hospital for four months and came out in a wheelchair. That was ten years ago. I am still alive. I can walk short distances with a stick but still get out of breath. There are residual problems and I have other medical conditions but your daughter should be okay. Visit her as much as possible even if it is just to hold her hand and don't get worried if, when she starts to speak, she says strange things. It's called ICU delirium, but goes away eventually. From what you describe, I think she will be okay eventually. It will just take time. I wish you all the best at what must be a worrying time.

Also, there have probably been a lot of tears but it's okay to laugh at the strange things that happen. Consultants have a great sense of humour. Don't be afraid to laugh. Humour helps so much.

Most important: As soon as it is possible, get her to sit in a chair by the bed. If she waits too long to do that she will get sick and have horrible vertigo. Being able to sit in a chair is the first step to really getting better. I had to be lowered into one with a hoist at first. The doctors, nurses and physio people will tell you how important it is.

[Lene216 in reply to garycom]

Thank you so much for the encouragement and it’s so great to hear that you are still going strong and proved the doctors wrong. My daughter is 44.

[Sepsur]

everyone is different as we all differ in our tolerances. As you say - dialysis has an impact too.

[Lene216 in reply to Sepsur]

Thank you