Intensive Care at Home

https://intensivecareathome.com/my-mum-has-been-in-icu-for-two-months-and-is-failing-ventilation-and-tracheostomy-weaning-can-she-go-home/ My Mom’s Been in ICU for Two Months & is Failing Ventilation & Tracheostomy Weaning, Can She Go Home? Book your free 15-minute phone consultation here http://intensivecarehotline.com/scheduling-appointment/ Call directly 24/7 +1 415-915-0090 USA/Canada +44 118 324 3018 UK +6141 094 2230 Australia Email support@intensivecarehotline.com Get 1:1 consulting and advocacy 1:1 phone counselling http://intensivecarehotline.com/one-on-one-counselling/ Become a member for families of critically ill Patients in Intensive Care https://intensivecarehotline.com/intensivecaresupport-org-membership/ Immediate action steps http://intensivecarehotline.com/take-control-take-charge/immediate-action-steps/ https://intensivecareathome.com And if you need a medical record review, click on the link and we can help you with reviewing your loved one’s medical records while they’re in ICU. https://intensivecarehotline.thrivecart.com/review-of-medical-records/ Facebook Page: https://www.facebook.com/ICUhotline Twitter: https://twitter.com/icuhotline #icu #intensivecare #criticalcare In last week’s video blog, I talked about how to keep more patients at home and out of ICU taking the pressure off hospitals. HOW TO KEEP MORE PATIENTS AT HOME AND OUT OF ICU/PICU TAKING THE PRESSURE OFF HOSPITALS You can check out last week’s question by clicking on the link here. In today’s video blog, I want to talk about a question from one of our inquiries, Brandy, and Brandy writes in MY MUM HAS BEEN IN ICU FOR TWO MONTHS AND IS FAILING VENTILATION AND TRACHEOSTOMY WEANING, CAN SHE GO HOME? Hi Patrik, my mom suffers from several health issues. She is currently in ICU on the ventilator with a tracheostomy. She was intubated on the 19th of February and got the tracheostomy on the second of March due to respiratory failure and sepsis. On the fifth of March, they started the ventilator weaning. However the care there wasn’t the best and no one was on the same page, so any attempt at ventilation weaning was unsuccessful. She also needed 10 units of blood during in the first few weeks due to low hemoglobin. Since the 27th of March, things have become unstable again, they have been running tests to see if she had a GI bleed, which came back negative thankfully. Her hemoglobin and hematocrit have been holding steady for the last several days. She is however still anemic and is on dialysis as well. But the doctors couldn’t determine why she had so much blood loss. She started doing the tracheostomy collar and weaning in ICU for the last few days and has finally done well now. Up to six hours so far per day and they’re continuing today. My mom really wants to come home and I would like her to come home to my house and stay with me. However, I’m not sure how that works with being in the middle of the tracheostomy collar trials. Can I request my mom continue to stay in ICU until she can be successfully weaned from the ventilator and then take her home with me? And I’ve seen that with intensive care at home that you can do tracheostomy and ventilation at home. Could you also do home dialysis? And what if my mom could be off the ventilator during the day but needed at night? Can you do that as well? I’m just trying to respect my mom’s wishes to come home as she is tired of being in ICU. She’s 66 years of age and what should I do? As of today, she is now on BIPAP with the tracheostomy and her CO2 levels are still fairly high. She had to go back on the ventilator for 24 hours a day to get her CO2 levels under control. When I look at your website, everything looks like exactly what we need. My only question is, what insurance does intensive care at home accept? How can it be funded? Any help with this would be very much appreciated. We are in Melbourne and would very much appreciate your help. Also, my mother currently suffers from COPD, high blood pressure, diabetes, she had five bypass heart surgeries four years ago, and she is wheelchair bound as she has lost a lot of muscle mass in her legs in the last few months... Continue reading at: https://intensivecareathome.com/my-mum-has-been-in-icu-for-two-months-and-is-failing-ventilation-and-tracheostomy-weaning-can-she-go-home/

https://intensivecareathome.com/how-to-increase-icu-bed-capacity-during-the-covid-19-pandemic-crisis/ HOW TO INCREASE ICU BED CAPACITY DURING THE COVID-19 PANDEMIC CRISIS? Book your free 15-minute phone consultation here http://intensivecarehotline.com/scheduling-appointment/ Call directly 24/7 +1 415-915-0090 USA/Canada +44 118 324 3018 UK +6141 094 2230 Australia Email support@intensivecarehotline.com Get 1:1 consulting and advocacy 1:1 phone counselling http://intensivecarehotline.com/one-on-one-counselling/ Become a member for families of critically ill Patients in Intensive Care https://intensivecarehotline.com/intensivecaresupport-org-membership/ Immediate action steps http://intensivecarehotline.com/take-control-take-charge/immediate-action-steps/ https://intensivecareathome.com And if you need a medical record review, click on the link and we can help you with reviewing your loved one’s medical records while they’re in ICU. https://intensivecarehotline.thrivecart.com/review-of-medical-records/ Facebook Page: https://www.facebook.com/ICUhotline Twitter: https://twitter.com/icuhotline #icu #intensivecare #criticalcare In this week’s blog, I want to offer solutions to intensive care units and hospitals How to increase ICU bed capacity during the Covid-19 pandemic crisis? So today’s blog topic is how to get more ICU beds with less infection risk. It has been very interesting to see in recent weeks and recent months that governments and health care services and health care systems all around the world are desperately trying to ramp up their ICU capacities. For example, in Australia, there are currently about 2200 intensive care beds and almost all of them all of the time they’re running at full capacity. There is no COVID-19 pandemic crisis needed to keep ICUs at and above capacity at all times. With current predictions and modeling for when the peak of the COVID-19 patients needing ICU treatment hits next month in May or in June, there won’t be enough ICU beds in the country. Some hospitals are already preparing for the worst by trying to have extra ICU beds available in recovery theater, Emergency Department or Ward areas. Some credible sources paint a worst case scenario picture with ICUs needing up to 330% more ICU beds in the next few weeks or months. And I’ll put a link below this video to an article on the ABC website that’s highlighting the increase in ICU beds up to 330%. It has also been talked about creating some “makeshift ICU” is like the military does in war zones, with the difference that those makeshift ICU could be, for example, here in Melbourne at the exhibition center, or what we’ve seen in recent weeks in Central Park, in New York, or in other big cities around the world, like in London as well. https://www.abc.net.au/news/2020-03-27/coronavirus-australia-covid-19-icu-beds-ventilators-hospitals/1209042 Nobody has ever asked that if we need to dramatically increase ICU bed capacity quickly where resources are coming from? It might be possible to get more physical beds get more ventilators etc. But who’s going to operate those ventilators and who’s going to look after those patients? With ICU nurses and ICU doctors already in high demand, can you just increase bed capacity by hundreds or thousands of ICU beds out of thin air without having the appropriately trained staff that can safely look after those critically ill patients needing ventilation, induced coma, prone positioning, inotropes and vasopressors and the list goes on. To look after critically ill patients safely, doctors and nurses have to go through many years of specialized training either theoretical and practical, both is needed. In my point of view, after having worked in intensive care for 20 years, it’s scary to hear that all of a sudden doctors and nurses without ICU experience are being fast tracked to look after some of the sickest patients that ICUs have ever seen. This is a scary scenario, as the margin for error in ICU is very little when you’re dealing with lives in the hands of ICU doctors and ICU nurses. Another solution to deal with this, of needing to drastically and dramatically increase ICU bed capacity is simply of course, to use more of our intensive care at home services. We are already operational, proven and up and running. No need to set up makeshift ICUs in a park or in an exhibition center or anywhere else where it could potentially be unsafe. We can help ICUs very quickly to increase bed capacity for COVID-19 patients by simply taking long term intensive care patients home and increase ICU bed capacity very quickly... Continue reading at: https://intensivecareathome.com/how-to-increase-icu-bed-capacity-during-the-covid-19-pandemic-crisis/

https://intensivecareathome.com/my-husband-is-in-icu-for-four-months-can-he-go-home-with-intensive-care-at-home/ My Husband is in ICU for Four Months. Can He Go Home with Intensive Care At Home? Book your free 15-minute phone consultation here http://intensivecarehotline.com/scheduling-appointment/ Call directly 24/7 +1 415-915-0090 USA/Canada +44 118 324 3018 UK +6141 094 2230 Australia Email support@intensivecarehotline.com Get 1:1 consulting and advocacy 1:1 phone counselling http://intensivecarehotline.com/one-on-one-counselling/ Become a member for families of critically ill Patients in Intensive Care https://intensivecarehotline.com/intensivecaresupport-org-membership/ Immediate action steps http://intensivecarehotline.com/take-control-take-charge/immediate-action-steps/ https://intensivecareathome.com And if you need a medical record review, click on the link and we can help you with reviewing your loved one’s medical records while they’re in ICU. https://intensivecarehotline.thrivecart.com/review-of-medical-records/ Facebook Page: https://www.facebook.com/ICUhotline Twitter: https://twitter.com/icuhotline #icu #intensivecare #criticalcare In today’s video, I want to answer a question from one of our readers and interested clients, Carrie and Carrie has a 72-year old husband in ICU now for four months and Carrie is wanting to know if he can go home with intensive care at home. My Husband is in ICU for Four Months. Can He Go Home with Intensive Care at Home? So I read out Carrie’s emails so you can understand what situation her and her husband are in. Because many families in intensive care are in a similar situation and they don’t know what they don’t know and they don’t know what to do, which is why they’re reaching out to us. And we can help them to take their loved one home and bring intensive care in their home. So that’s the whole idea. So let me read out Carrie’s email now. My husband is 76 and he had a right tibial artery blockage with loss of blood flow to his great toe. You had an atherectomy by a vascular surgeon done on December the 15th and nephrotoxic contrast media caused worsening of kidney dysfunction to stage five but gradually improved somewhat. The next hospital day, my husband had a heart attack and intermittent atrial fibrillation for the first time. Prior to that he had a history of mild congestive heart failure. He got readmitted just a couple of days before Christmas with a right great toe amputation and then he went back home. His kidney function deteriorated and his third admission was just after the New Year for uremia with mental confusion and to start emergency dialysis. About 10 days later, he developed his first hospital acquired pneumonia and he was very slow to respond to that with antibiotics. He then had an acute and rapid drop in oxygen levels around 4:00 AM on the 10th of January, and he was put on a ventilator for the first time. The infectious disease specialist thought it was probably secondary to a large mucus plug. His tracheostomy and his PEG tube was subsequently put in on the 27th of January. During his stay in ICU, he also developed a sacral pressure ulcer during hospitalization which progressed markedly and after debridement and removal of large amount of tissue is now at a stage three pressure sore wound, which is treated by the wound care team and he has been on an air mattress. He was then a couple of weeks later developed a second hospital-acquired pneumonia and MRSA. He improved clinically with antibiotics and his white cell count decrease from 28,000 to 18,000 but has never returned to normal. On the 20th of February, his white cell count was 14,500. His chest x ray has shown bilateral pleural effusions. It was worst on the right but also residual infiltrate on the right lung. Last week, he had chest drains inserted to drain the pleural effusions. Presently he’s having haemodialysis three times a week with additional treatments added or for fluid removal as needed. The lengthy hospitalizations, multiple complications and lack of adequate nutrition have resulted in extreme weakness. My husband remains primarily bedridden except for being up in a chair for two-hour sessions, one to two times a day. He has continued to have paroxysmal atrial fibrillation, more frequently when he’s extremely tired or stressed. In terms of ventilation weaning, my husband had worked up to 24 hours of two times the ventilator but then had to start over because of the pneumonia and extreme fatigue. He has been on the tracheostomy collar for three 16-hour sessions in one 20-hour session this past week... Continue reading at: https://intensivecareathome.com/my-husband-is-in-icu-for-four-months-can-he-go-home-with-intensive-care-at-home/

https://intensivecareathome.com/my-husband-has-been-in-icu-since-january-2020-with-pneumonia-and-a-stroke-hes-got-a-tracheostomy-and-he-cant-come-off-the-ventilator-we-are-stuck-can-we-go-home-with-intensive-care-at-home/ MY HUSBAND HAS BEEN IN ICU SINCE JANUARY 2020. WITH PNEUMONIA AND A STROKE HE’S GOT A TRACHEOSTOMY AND HE CAN’T COME OFF THE VENTILATOR. WE ARE STUCK. CAN WE GO HOME WITH INTENSIVE CARE AT HOME? Book your free 15-minute phone consultation here http://intensivecarehotline.com/scheduling-appointment/ Call directly 24/7 +1 415-915-0090 USA/Canada +44 118 324 3018 UK +6141 094 2230 Australia Email support@intensivecarehotline.com Get 1:1 consulting and advocacy 1:1 phone counselling http://intensivecarehotline.com/one-on-one-counselling/ Become a member for families of critically ill Patients in Intensive Care https://intensivecarehotline.com/intensivecaresupport-org-membership/ Immediate action steps http://intensivecarehotline.com/take-control-take-charge/immediate-action-steps/ https://intensivecareathome.com And if you need a medical record review, click on the link and we can help you with reviewing your loved one’s medical records while they’re in ICU. https://intensivecarehotline.thrivecart.com/review-of-medical-records/ Facebook Page: https://www.facebook.com/ICUhotline Twitter: https://twitter.com/icuhotline #icu #intensivecare #criticalcare In last week’s blog, I answered another question from one of our readers where the reader asked My husband is in ICU for four months, can he go home with intensive care at home? You can check out last week’s question by clicking on the link here. In today’s video question, I want to focus on another question from one of our readers. Mandy says My husband has been in ICU since January 2020. with pneumonia and a stroke he’s got a tracheostomy and he can’t come off the ventilator. We are stuck. Can we go home with intensive care at home? So here is what Mandy writes. Hi Patrik, My 63 year old husband went into ICU earlier this year with a severe pneumonia. He then suffered from a stroke a couple of weeks after being admitted into ICU. Since he suffered from the stroke, he ended up with a tracheostomy, and he’s been in ICU since the sixth of January. He’s slowly weaning off the ventilator but has poor muscle movement due to all the medicines he was given. I would like to bring him home with intensive care at home. He is already getting severely depressed, he’s not being able to talk right now as he can only manage a couple of hours here and there to stay off the ventilator. Me and my children are spending day and night in ICU in order to be with my husband and he’s not making any progress at all. The ICU team says it’ll be very difficult for him to come off the ventilator. And they say that it might be best if we let nature take its course and let him die. We don’t agree with that at all, because we know he wants to live. We can accept if he can’t be weaned off the ventilator and the tracheostomy but we can’t accept him staying in a sterile ICU environment. What are our options to go home with intensive care at home? Mandy Hi Mandy, Well, thank you Mandy, for writing in and for sharing your situation. I can totally understand your situation as most of our clients journey started somewhat similar. I have worked in intensive care for 20 years and I have seen situations like your husband over and over again. And obviously now with what we’re doing with intensive care at home, it does make a lot of sense to get your husband home as quickly as possible. And not only is it going to be better for your husband to leave ICU as you pointed out to leave the sterile intensive care environment. You know, it’ll also be better for, you know, his quality of life, of course, he’ll go back into a more natural day and night rhythm because as you would have seen by now in ICU, there’s never any peace and quiet, he probably would have a disturbed day and night rhythm by now. He probably also has ICU, psychosis and ICU delirium on top of the stroke. Now, the other thing is, obviously, with your and your children’s situation, you know, you are spending day and night in intensive care. And I’m sure it impacts on your whole life, you probably can’t work if you were working before, I would imagine it impacts on your children’s life. And I can only understand that you and your children want to be with your husband 24 hours a day. That’s how important your husband is, of course, and you know, we understand that perfectly well. So now let’s look at what are your options? The good news is that you do have options... Continue reading at: https://intensivecareathome.com/my-husband-has-been-in-icu-since-january-2020-with-pneumonia-and-a-stroke-hes-got-a-tracheostomy-and-he-cant-come-off-the-ventilator-we-are-stuck-can-we-go-home-with-intensive-care-at-home/

https://intensivecareathome.com/intensive-care-at-home-is-hiring-icu-picu-nurses-in-metropolitan-melbourne-warragul-trafalgar/ INTENSIVE CARE AT HOME is Hiring ICU/PICU Nurses in Metropolitan Melbourne, Warragul & Trafalgar INTENSIVE CARE AT HOME is hiring ICU/PICU nurses in Melbourne, Thornbury, Frankston, Mornington Peninsula (Bittern, Balnarring) and Warragul/ Leongatha/Trafalgar area. Minimum requirement is two years ICU/PICU experience, ideally with a critical care certificate. For more information contact Patrik Hutzel on 041 094 2230 or email patrik@intensivecareathome.com Check out our career section as well! https://intensivecareathome.com/careers/ Book your free 15-minute phone consultation here http://intensivecarehotline.com/scheduling-appointment/ Call directly 24/7 +1 415-915-0090 USA/Canada +44 118 324 3018 UK +6141 094 2230 Australia Email support@intensivecarehotline.com Get 1:1 consulting and advocacy 1:1 phone counselling http://intensivecarehotline.com/one-on-one-counselling/ Become a member for families of critically ill Patients in Intensive Care https://intensivecarehotline.com/intensivecaresupport-org-membership/ Immediate action steps http://intensivecarehotline.com/take-control-take-charge/immediate-action-steps/ https://intensivecareathome.com And if you need a medical record review, click on the link and we can help you with reviewing your loved one’s medical records while they’re in ICU. https://intensivecarehotline.thrivecart.com/review-of-medical-records/ Facebook Page: https://www.facebook.com/ICUhotline Twitter: https://twitter.com/icuhotline #icu #intensivecare #criticalcaremedicine So today’s video is for intensive care nurses and pediatric intensive care nurses, because here at intensive care at home, we are hiring you. If you’re an ICU or a pediatric ICU nurse, and you have a minimum of two years, ICU or pediatric ICU experience, and ideally a postgraduate critical care degree, we want to hear from you. We currently have vacancies for all of our clients in the Melbourne metropolitan area on the Mornington Peninsula, as well as in the Warragul and Trafalgar area, so in the Gippsland area. Specifically, we have vacancies in Mornington (Bittern, Balnarring) but also in Patterson Lakes as well as in the Warragul and Leongatha area, also in the Sunbury area and inner city and also Thornbury. So you might be wondering, what do we exactly do at intensive care at home if you haven’t heard of us before? So we’re really proud to announce that we are the first and only accredited intensive care at home nursing service in Australia, as of June, 2020. We have a proven, innovative, safe, and robust third party accredited framework to deliver intensive care at home nursing services, which enables us to look after the highest acuity and the sickest clients in the community in Australia. It’s a proven model that is quickly and fast revolutionizing health care and intensive care and we are creating value for patients, families, ICUs, pediatric ICUs for hospitals and for funding bodies like we’re basically creating a win-win situation for everyone. We’re improving the quality of life for our clients and their families. We’re saving about 50% of the cost of an ICU bed. We’re freeing up ICU beds are in high demand. It’s a win-win situation for everyone. So the intellectual property we have built for intensive care at home nursing services enables us to attract the best, most motivated, enthusiastic, and most amazing ICU and pediatric ICU nurses. We are therefore in a position to employ a team with hundreds of years, ICU and pediatric ICU experience, which is giving us the ability to look after more and more long-term ICU and pediatric ICU patients at home, which has formally been unheard of in Australia until 2014. So this is what we do in a nutshell, we are basically an intensive care substitution service in the home. We are an extension of intensive care for mainly long-term ventilated patients with tracheostomy, but also we have other medically complex patients that are not necessarily ventilated, but still require an ICU or a pediatric ICU nurse, 24 hours a day to keep them at home safely so they don’t go back into ICU and they can be surrounded by their families, which is obviously very beneficial for our clients. Also, our team is supported by a clinical liaison nurse that’s obviously visiting clients that is very hands-on with clients, families as well as with our staff. So again, you’re not by yourself in a client’s home, there’s always somebody supporting you... Continue reading at: https://intensivecareathome.com/intensive-care-at-home-is-hiring-icu-picu-nurses-in-metropolitan-melbourne-warragul-trafalgar/

https://intensivecareathome.com/what-is-required-for-an-intensive-care-unit-at-home/ What is Required for an Intensive Care Unit at Home? Book your free 15-minute phone consultation here http://intensivecarehotline.com/scheduling-appointment/ Call directly 24/7 +1 415-915-0090 USA/Canada +44 118 324 3018 UK +6141 094 2230 Australia Email support@intensivecarehotline.com Get 1:1 consulting and advocacy 1:1 phone counselling http://intensivecarehotline.com/one-on-one-counselling/ Become a member for families of critically ill Patients in Intensive Care https://intensivecarehotline.com/intensivecaresupport-org-membership/ Immediate action steps http://intensivecarehotline.com/take-control-take-charge/immediate-action-steps/ https://intensivecareathome.com And if you need a medical record review, click on the link and we can help you with reviewing your loved one’s medical records while they’re in ICU. https://intensivecarehotline.thrivecart.com/review-of-medical-records/ Facebook Page: https://www.facebook.com/ICUhotline Twitter: https://twitter.com/icuhotline #icu #intensivecare #criticalcare In last week’s blog, I answered another question from one of our readers where the reader asked How to get evidence based care and treatment at home for long-term ventilated patients with tracheostomy and other medically complex patients! In this week’s blog I want to answer another question we get quite frequently What is required for an intensive care unit at home? This is a very straight forward and great question we get quite frequently and I want to answer it succinctly to keep it short and get to the point. - A client and a family ready and willing to go home instead of unnecessarily spending many weeks, months or even years in ICU/PICU - A team of experienced ICU/PICU nurses with a minimum of two years ICU/PICU experience and a postgraduate qualification in critical care (our average number of years of ICU/PICU experience is 8-10 years and we employ hundreds of years ICU/PICU experience combined in our business) - Equipment that enables intensive care at home such as ventilators, spare tracheostomies, ventilation circuits, suction machines, monitors, suction catheters, resuscitation bag, humidifier, nebulising machine, cough assist, machine, face masks, Guedel airways, nasopharyngeal airways, tracheostomy dressings, dilators etc… in essence all the equipment that is needed in ICU just now it being used at home. - A 3rd party accredited intensive care at home nursing service. Providing an intensive care substitution service at home is a task that can be achieved with the right support structure and with the right policies and procedures. Applying intensive care in a home care setting is only save if it is provided by evidence based and 3rd party accredited care just like in a hospital. You wouldn’t want the baggage handler flying an airplane instead of the pilot or would you? It’s the same with intensive care at home. If you don’t have the quality systems that enable ICU/PICU nurses to do their jobs safely it’s like flying an airplane without a pilot. As of June 2020 intensive care at home is the only nursing service in Australia that has built and developed a 3rd party accredited quality system for intensive care at home nursing services. Therefore we have built substantial intellectual property that enables us to keep our clients safe even though they need intensive care... Continue reading at: https://intensivecareathome.com/what-is-required-for-an-intensive-care-unit-at-home/

https://intensivecareathome.com/my-mum-has-been-in-intensive-care-for-three-months-shes-on-a-ventilator-with-a-tracheostomy-after-a-cardiac-arrest-can-she-go-home-and-be-weaned-off-the-ventilator-at-home-instead-of-in-intensive/ MY MUM HAS BEEN IN INTENSIVE CARE FOR THREE MONTHS. SHE’S ON A VENTILATOR WITH A TRACHEOSTOMY AFTER A CARDIAC ARREST. CAN SHE GO HOME AND BE WEANED OFF THE VENTILATOR AT HOME INSTEAD OF IN INTENSIVE CARE? Book your free 15-minute phone consultation here http://intensivecarehotline.com/scheduling-appointment/ Call directly 24/7 +1 415-915-0090 USA/Canada +44 118 324 3018 UK +6141 094 2230 Australia Email support@intensivecarehotline.com Get 1:1 consulting and advocacy 1:1 phone counselling http://intensivecarehotline.com/one-on-one-counselling/ Become a member for families of critically ill Patients in Intensive Care https://intensivecarehotline.com/intensivecaresupport-org-membership/ Immediate action steps http://intensivecarehotline.com/take-control-take-charge/immediate-action-steps/ https://intensivecareathome.com And if you need a medical record review, click on the link and we can help you with reviewing your loved one’s medical records while they’re in ICU. https://intensivecarehotline.thrivecart.com/review-of-medical-records/ Facebook Page: https://www.facebook.com/ICUhotline Twitter: https://twitter.com/icuhotline #icu #intensivecare #criticalcare In today’s question I want to answer a question from Charlie and Charlie asks My mum has been in intensive care for three months. She’s on a ventilator with a tracheostomy after a cardiac arrest. Can she go home and be weaned off the ventilator at home instead of in intensive care? So Charlie writes Hi Patrik, my mother is in intensive care and she has been in intensive care for the last three months. The doctors are saying she’s doing okay, but the progress is very slow. And they’re saying that she might be in intensive care for the next three months or even for longer until she can get weaned off the ventilator. So we are wondering whether she can go home on a ventilator. Now, my mother had a cardiac arrest. She now has atrial fibrillation (AF) since she had the cardiac arrest. Initially she went to hospital for a broken hip and then overnight she actually had a cardiac arrest and she was resuscitated. And she came back after about eight minutes of cardiac compressions and resuscitation. Thankfully the brain MRI came back with no damage and she has been initially in a coma for about 10 days. And when she woke up, they did a tracheostomy and now she’s having problems in weaning off the ventilator, probably also because of pain issues, because initially she had some fractured ribs after the CPR and she’s now very weak and she’s probably traumatized by all the events in the last few weeks and months. So really my question is can we wean her at home with intensive care at home instead of leaving her in intensive care for the next few months, which is pretty much what the ICU is suggesting. On the other hand, ICU has been suggesting that another way to deal with this situation is to “let her go and let her die and let nature take its course.” Now, given that my mother is only 60 years of age, we want her to live and she wants to live. We also think that our mother feels very lonely and that again, she’s traumatised by being in ICU for so long and waking up now and slowly realizing of what is happening. So the question really is how quickly can we take her home and wean her at home on the ventilator. Thank you, Charlie Hi Charlie, thanks for this question really appreciated. Look, Charlie, here is the short version. After three months in ICU and your mother being more stable and the only thing keeping her in ICU is the ventilation weaning. Yes, she can definitely go home with our service INTENSIVE CARE AT HOME and we can continue weaning her off the ventilator at home. It’s really good to hear that there is no brain damage after the cardiac arrest and that is very important. You know, we can continue monitoring the atrial fibrillation at home. I’m pretty sure that the cardiologist has a plan mapped out in terms of how to treat the atrial fibrillation. And we can do that at home. That’s certainly not a reason to stay in ICU for the next few months and wean her off ventilation in ICU. So what needs to happen in order for your mother to go home is, we need to set her up at home with the right equipment and the right staff. We need to set you guys up with a 24 hour intensive home care nursing roster. So we will send you the intensive care nurses in the home 24 hours a day, and then we can continue weaning your Mother from home... Continue reading at: https://intensivecareathome.com/my-mum-has-been-in-intensive-care-for-three-months-shes-on-a-ventilator-with-a-tracheostomy-after-a-cardiac-arrest-can-she-go-home-and-be-weaned-off-the-ventilator-at-home-instead-of-in-intensive/

https://intensivecareathome.com/how-long-does-a-tracheostomy-prolong-life/ HOW LONG DOES A TRACHEOSTOMY PROLONG LIFE? Book your free 15-minute phone consultation here http://intensivecarehotline.com/scheduling-appointment/ Call directly 24/7 +1 415-915-0090 USA/Canada +44 118 324 3018 UK +6141 094 2230 Australia Email support@intensivecarehotline.com Get 1:1 consulting and advocacy 1:1 phone counselling http://intensivecarehotline.com/one-on-one-counselling/ Become a member for families of critically ill Patients in Intensive Care https://intensivecarehotline.com/intensivecaresupport-org-membership/ Immediate action steps http://intensivecarehotline.com/take-control-take-charge/immediate-action-steps/ https://intensivecareathome.com And if you need a medical record review, click on the link and we can help you with reviewing your loved one’s medical records while they’re in ICU. https://intensivecarehotline.thrivecart.com/review-of-medical-records/ Facebook Page: https://www.facebook.com/ICUhotline Twitter: https://twitter.com/icuhotline #icu #intensivecare #criticalcare In today’s episode of of the INTENSIVE CARE AT HOME video blog, I want to answer another question from one of our readers and clients and the question today is How long does a tracheostomy prolong life? And that is a very good question. And the question comes about because you know many of our prospects, clients and also people that just inquiry about our service have a loved one in intensive care with a tracheostomy and they simply want to know is the tracheostomy short term is it medium term is it long term? Now in this particular situation, we’ve got an inquiry from a family who has their 19 month old daughter in intensive care with a tracheostomy after an anoxic brain injury. Now, unfortunately, that little girl was born and was starved of oxygen during birth and ended up with an anoxic brain injury. She spent and has spent pretty much all of her life in intensive care on a ventilator with a tracheostomy and she is on the ventilator still, after all this time, And obviously with a lack of specialist services in the community, she hasn’t been home yet. But obviously with a service like ours intensive care at home, she can go home. But the question is how long does a tracheostomy prolong the little girl’s life or anybody’s life for that matter? And to cut the long short a tracheostomy and ventilation can prolong life for a long time. And you know, there could be debate about it, is it the right thing to ventilate someone for years to come or should it just be stopped? But in this particular situation, you know, the family is grounded in strong religious faith and in their mind, only God can take away life. And it shouldn’t be up to the intensive care team to stop life support just because the intensive care team thinks that this little girl wouldn’t have any quality of life. Now, from my experience after having worked in intensive care for decades, there is definitely no quality of life/ quality of end of life in intensive care, that’s for sure. But also after having worked for the same time with intensive care at home, there is definitely quality of life/ quality of end of life at home, not only for the little girl, but also for the little girl’s family. You know, in intensive care,there’s a lot of noise. There’s a high risk for infection, especially at the moment with COVID-19. But even outside of COVID-19 times, the risk for an infection in intensive care is simply through the roof. It’s huge. At home, you’re in a clean environment, and it’s just so much nicer, more client and family friendly and simply more holistic! Also, intensive care units are very noisy places. The lights are on 24 hours a day, people come and go 24 hours a day. People have no privacy, no dignity. Compare that with a homecare environment especially since this little girl is stable. She’s not on any inotropes or vasopressors. She’s not on any sedation, it’s simply the ventilation and tracheostomy that’s keeping her in intensive care because obviously ventilation and tracheostomy requires the skill and expertise of intensive care and pediatric intensive care nurses. So the only option for the little 19 month old girl is to go home with our service INTENSIVE CARE AT HOME. So let’s look at the economics of this as well. So an intensive care bed is around $5,000 to $6,000 per bed day. And intensive care at home is about 50% of that cost. So, on an economic level, this is a no brainer that using intensive care at home cuts the cost of an intensive care bed by 50%... Continue reading at: https://intensivecareathome.com/how-long-does-a-tracheostomy-prolong-life/

https://intensivecarehotline.com/blog/is-intensive-care-at-home-a-genuine-alternative-to-ltac-long-term-acute-care/ Is INTENSIVE CARE AT HOME a Genuine Alternative to LTAC (Long Term Acute Care)? Book your free 15-minute phone consultation here http://intensivecarehotline.com/scheduling-appointment/ Call directly 24/7 +1 415-915-0090 USA/Canada +44 118 324 3018 UK +6141 094 2230 Australia Email support@intensivecarehotline.com Get 1:1 consulting and advocacy 1:1 phone counselling http://intensivecarehotline.com/one-on-one-counselling/ Become a member for families of critically ill Patients in Intensive Care https://intensivecarehotline.com/intensivecaresupport-org-membership/ Immediate action steps http://intensivecarehotline.com/take-control-take-charge/immediate-action-steps/ https://intensivecareathome.com And if you need a medical record review, click on the link and we can help you with reviewing your loved one’s medical records while they’re in ICU. https://intensivecarehotline.thrivecart.com/review-of-medical-records/ Facebook Page: https://www.facebook.com/ICUhotline Twitter: https://twitter.com/icuhotline #icu #intensivecare #criticalcare Hi, it’s Patrik Hutzel from intensivecarehotline.com with another quick tip for families in intensive care and in LTAC. So many families in intensive care come to us and they ask, is intensive care at home a genuine alternative to LTAC or to a long-term stay in intensive care and the short version is yes, but let me explain first. When a patient is in intensive care and he’s on a ventilator with a breathing tube or endotracheal tube, and is in an induced coma and they can’t come off the ventilator for whatever reason and that reason often includes complacency of the intensive care unit, but I can come to that later. And when a patient can’t come off the ventilator and the breathing tube, they often need a tracheostomy to wean them off the ventilator with more time, it basically buys patients more time to come off the ventilator. However, there is certainly a caveat to that, and I have done numerous videos and blogs about that, how to wean a patient off the ventilator and the breathing tube in the first place to avoid the tracheostomy. But let’s just say a tracheostomy is unavoidable so then you’ve got to look at, okay, what are the best next steps? Now ICUs often want to send out tracheostomy patients to an LTAC or long-term acute care facility and that’s quite frankly a disaster. Why is it a disaster? Because a ventilated and tracheostomy patient needs intensive care nurses, needs intensive care doctors, needs respiratory therapists in the United States at least. In LTAC, none of that is available. So LTACs are designed to save money. They’re not designed for clinical relevancy. Going to LTAC is almost all of the time clinically irrelevant because basically, for lack of a better term, dumps ventilated patients in LTAC without looking at clinical need. And again, for somebody that’s ventilated with a tracheostomy, you need to have intensive care nurses, intensive care doctors, et cetera. To keep clients safe, to keep patients safe and to wean them off the ventilator. LTACs have terrible success rates to wean patients off the ventilator. So why is it LTAC then, in the first place, it’s there to save money and empty ICU beds fast. So, then coming back to intensive care at home. Is intensive care at home a genuine alternative to LTACs? Absolutely yes, because intensive care at home provides intensive care nurses for patients 24 hours a day at home. So that a genuine alternative to a long term stay in intensive care can be achieved and patients can go home from intensive care straight away. So that’s my quick tip for today. Go and check out intensivecareathome.com for more information about the service and also, I should say an intensive care bed costs around five to $6,000 per bed day whereas intensive care at home costs around 50% of that. So therefore health funding agencies have an interest in getting patients out of ICU and to intensive care at home. So it’s a win-win situation for everyone and you and your loved one have an improved quality of life by being at home. It’s a no brainer. So go and check out intensivecareathome.com for more information. This is Patrik Hutzel from intensivecarehotline.com and I’ll talk to you in a few days... Continue reading at: https://intensivecarehotline.com/blog/is-intensive-care-at-home-a-genuine-alternative-to-ltac-long-term-acute-care/

https://intensivecareathome.com/can-you-discharge-a-patient-home-from-icu-directly/ Can You Discharge a Patient Home from ICU Directly? Book your free 15-minute phone consultation here http://intensivecarehotline.com/scheduling-appointment/ Call directly 24/7 +1 415-915-0090 USA/Canada +44 118 324 3018 UK +6141 094 2230 Australia Email support@intensivecarehotline.com Get 1:1 consulting and advocacy 1:1 phone counselling http://intensivecarehotline.com/one-on-one-counselling/ Become a member for families of critically ill Patients in Intensive Care https://intensivecarehotline.com/intensivecaresupport-org-membership/ Immediate action steps http://intensivecarehotline.com/take-control-take-charge/immediate-action-steps/ https://intensivecareathome.com And if you need a medical record review, click on the link and we can help you with reviewing your loved one’s medical records while they’re in ICU. https://intensivecarehotline.thrivecart.com/review-of-medical-records/ Facebook Page: https://www.facebook.com/ICUhotline Twitter: https://twitter.com/icuhotline #icu #intensivecare #criticalcare In today’s blog, I want to answer a question that we get quite frequently here at intensive care at home and the question this week is Can You Discharge a Patient Home from ICU Directly? Now, what a great question to look at today, because any of you that are familiar with intensive care, the paradigm in intensive care, generally speaking for the last few decades, there’s two options for a patient in ICU, and that is number one they go to a hospital ward after discharge or they die. So that’s a very limited mindset and it doesn’t serve the clients or the patients, and it doesn’t serve hospitals and intensive care units either. So then the question is, can you go home directly from ICU? And the short answer to that question is yes, because with services like intensive care at home, you absolutely can go home from ICU directly, especially when it comes to long-term ventilation, tracheostomy, when it comes to BiPAP or noninvasive airway management, patients can go home directly. And how does that work in practice? Well, it works in practice quite frankly because we replicate intensive care in the home. So basically what we do is we send intensive care nurses into the home 24 hours a day, just like an intensive care unit is staffed by intensive care nurses, 24 hours a day and we do exactly the same in the home care environment. So from that perspective, we can provide an intensive care substitution service and we can improve the quality of life for patients and their families in the home. So we basically provide all the equipment that is needed in the home care environment for long-term intensive care patients. We can provide things like home TPN, which is intravenous nutrition, but we can also provide things like enteral nutrition, like either feeds with a PEG feed tube, or with a nasogastric feed tube. But overall, we can also provide mechanical ventilation of course. We can provide tracheostomy care. We can provide non-invasive ventilation care such as BiPAP, CPAP... Continue reading at: https://intensivecareathome.com/can-you-discharge-a-patient-home-from-icu-directly/

INTENSIVE CARE AT HOME is hiring ICU/PICU nurses with a minimum of two years ICU/PICU experience and ideally a postgraduate critical care qualification in Melbourne and in Sydney! For more information contact Patrik Hutzel on 041 094 2230 or email patrik@intensivecareathome.com Check out our career section as well! https://intensivecareathome.com/careers/ Book your free 15-minute phone consultation here http://intensivecarehotline.com/scheduling-appointment/ Call directly 24/7 +1 415-915-0090 USA/Canada +44 118 324 3018 UK +6141 094 2230 Australia Email support@intensivecarehotline.com Get 1:1 consulting and advocacy 1:1 phone counselling http://intensivecarehotline.com/one-on-one-counselling/ Become a member for families of critically ill Patients in Intensive Care https://intensivecarehotline.com/intensivecaresupport-org-membership/ Immediate action steps http://intensivecarehotline.com/take-control-take-charge/immediate-action-steps/ https://intensivecareathome.com And if you need a medical record review, click on the link and we can help you with reviewing your loved one’s medical records while they’re in ICU. https://intensivecarehotline.thrivecart.com/review-of-medical-records/ Facebook Page: https://www.facebook.com/ICUhotline Twitter: https://twitter.com/icuhotline #icu #intensivecare #criticalcare

https://intensivecarehotline.com/questions/my-husband-is-in-icu-for-3-months-on-a-ventilator-with-tracheostomy-and-on-dialysis-he-cant-be-weaned-off-the-ventilator-can-he-go-home/ https://intensivecarehotline.com/questions/my-husband-is-in-icu-for-3-months-on-a-ventilator-with-tracheostomy-and-on-dialysis-he-cant-be-weaned-off-the-ventilator-can-he-go-home-part-2/ My Husband is in ICU for 3 months on a Ventilator with Tracheostomy and on Dialysis. He Can't Be Weaned Off the Ventilator. Can He Go Home? Book your free 15-minute phone consultation here http://intensivecarehotline.com/scheduling-appointment/ Call directly 24/7 +1 415-915-0090 USA/Canada +44 118 324 3018 UK +6141 094 2230 Australia Email support@intensivecarehotline.com Get 1:1 consulting and advocacy 1:1 phone counselling http://intensivecarehotline.com/one-on-one-counselling/ Become a member for families of critically ill Patients in Intensive Care https://intensivecarehotline.com/intensivecaresupport-org-membership/ Immediate action steps http://intensivecarehotline.com/take-control-take-charge/immediate-action-steps/ https://intensivecareathome.com And if you need a medical record review, click on the link and we can help you with reviewing your loved one’s medical records while they’re in ICU. https://intensivecarehotline.thrivecart.com/review-of-medical-records/ Facebook Page: https://www.facebook.com/ICUhotline Twitter: https://twitter.com/icuhotline #icu #intensivecare #criticalcare In today’s episode of “YOUR QUESTIONS ANSWERED” I want to answer a question from one of my clients, Alicia and Alicia has her 72-year old husband in intensive care for three months now and Alicia wants to know if her husband can go home even on a ventilator with tracheostomy and on dialysis. “My Husband is in ICU for 3 months on a Ventilator with Tracheostomy and on Dialysis. He Can’t Be Weaned Off the Ventilator. Can He Go Home? “My Husband is in ICU for 3 months on a Ventilator with Tracheostomy and on Dialysis. He Can't Be Weaned Off the Ventilator. Can He Go Home? So Alicia writes. My husband’s 72 years of age, had a right tibial artery blockage with loss of blood flow to his great toe and atherectomy by a vascular surgeon was done and a nephrotoxic contrast media caused worsening of kidney dysfunction to stage 5, but gradually improved somewhat next hospital day. My husband had a heart attack or an MI and intermittent atrial fibrillation for the first time. Prior to that, he had history of mild congestive heart failure. RECOMMENDED: Membership for families in Intensive Care Book your free consultation call here Check out our Ebooks and videos He was readmitted for a right great toe amputation then he went back home again. After that his kidney function deteriorated and his third admission was on the 7th of July for uremia with mental confusion and he was started on emergency dialysis. About 10 days later, he developed first hospital acquired pneumonia. It was slow to respond to antibiotics after that there was an acute and rapid drop in oxygen levels and he was finally put on a ventilator. The infectious disease specialist thought that probably it was secondary to a large mucus block. My husband couldn’t come off the ventilator for the next two weeks and a tracheostomy and PEG tube was done on the 24th of August during the course of his intensive care stay. He developed a sacral pressure ulcer during his stay, which progressed markedly and after debridement and removal of large amount of adjacent tissue, it’s now a stage 3 pressure sore and wound treated by wound care team and has been on a rotating bed. Now the intensive care team then wanted to transfer him to a long-term acute care hospital, which I refused. Because I know that he is so much better off in an intensive care unit, especially with his ventilation and tracheostomy needs... Continue reading at: https://intensivecarehotline.com/questions/my-husband-is-in-icu-for-3-months-on-a-ventilator-with-tracheostomy-and-on-dialysis-he-cant-be-weaned-off-the-ventilator-can-he-go-home/

https://intensivecareathome.com/how-long-can-you-survive-with-ventilation-and-tracheostomy/ How Long Can You Survive with Ventilation and Tracheostomy? Book your free 15-minute phone consultation here http://intensivecarehotline.com/scheduling-appointment/ Call directly 24/7 +1 415-915-0090 USA/Canada +44 118 324 3018 UK +6141 094 2230 Australia Email support@intensivecarehotline.com Get 1:1 consulting and advocacy 1:1 phone counselling http://intensivecarehotline.com/one-on-one-counselling/ Become a member for families of critically ill Patients in Intensive Care https://intensivecarehotline.com/intensivecaresupport-org-membership/ Immediate action steps http://intensivecarehotline.com/take-control-take-charge/immediate-action-steps/ https://intensivecareathome.com And if you need a medical record review, click on the link and we can help you with reviewing your loved one’s medical records while they’re in ICU. https://intensivecarehotline.thrivecart.com/review-of-medical-records/ Facebook Page: https://www.facebook.com/ICUhotline Twitter: https://twitter.com/icuhotline #icu #intensivecare #criticalcare In today’s blog, I want to answer a question that we get quite frequently from our clients, but also people who are interested in our service and the question that I want to answer today is How Long Can You Survive with Ventilation and Tracheostomy? What a great question because obviously when somebody is having a mechanical ventilation and a breathing tube (endotracheal tube) in ICU, they can’t be weaned off the ventilator then the next step often is to perform a tracheostomy. And that can lead to several outcomes. It could be a short-term measure to wean patients off the ventilator in ICU but it could also be a long-term treatment plan for somebody to potentially be weaned off the ventilator and the tracheostomy at home. But it could also be a lifelong treatment option depending on the situation. For example ventilation and tracheostomy could be a lifelong treatment option for patients that have a C1 spinal injury, that have issues such as a motor neuron disease. Or a tracheostomy could turn into a weaning plan at home for patients with Guillan Barre syndrome. Or a tracheostomy and mechanical ventilation could become an option for patients for a better quality of end of life at home instead of approaching their end of life in ICU or a hospice. This could be an option for a patient with end stage COPD for example, also after lung transplant where a patient is having a rejection of a donor lung. Most hospices wouldn’t be able to look after tracheostomy and ventilation anyways, hence intensive home care would be the much preferred option. How Long Can You Survive with Ventilation and Tracheostomy? So there could be a number of issues that could lead to lifelong ventilation and tracheostomy. It could also be sometimes an end of life situation where somebody needs ventilation and tracheotomy to prolong their life. Maybe only in the short-term, maybe only for a few weeks or for a few months, maybe they want to spend time at home instead of in intensive care and approach their end of life at home. But with most of our clients, it’s definitely prolonged ventilation and tracheostomy, and they can live at home sometimes for many years to come and they can actually live a good quality of life in the comfort of their own home with basically having intensive care nurses coming into the home and providing the intensive care at home service 24/7. This provides a genuine alternative to a long term stay in intensive care. Again, there are no firm timelines around this. It can be sometimes weeks, months, and it can sometimes be many years. And again, with our clients, many of them report a very good quality of life. They can be at home instead of in intensive care and they can also be enjoying time around their family. They can be going sometimes to school, they can be doing meaningful activities in their own home with their families. Again, sometimes it’s school university, sometimes it’s even work that they can do from home on the computer. You know, a lot of things are possible in this day and age at home that are not possible in intensive care. So by going home with intensive care at home, with 24 hour nursing care, we can replicate the ICU just in a much nicer, in a much more family friendly and client friendly environment. And that can go on for many years sometimes. So, we know of one gentleman in particular, he’s been on a ventilator for almost 35 years now. He sustained a C1 spinal injury when he was a child and to this day he’s still alive and he’s living a very good quality of life, even though he’s on a ventilator and he’s got a tracheostomy... Continue reading at: https://intensivecareathome.com/how-long-can-you-survive-with-ventilation-and-tracheostomy/

My Dad’s Prognosis Is Poor According To The Doctor But Who Is Really Directing His Care? Help! Book your free 15-minute phone consultation here http://intensivecarehotline.com/scheduling-appointment/ Call directly 24/7 +1 415-915-0090 USA/Canada +44 118 324 3018 UK +6141 094 2230 Australia Email support@intensivecarehotline.com Get 1:1 consulting and advocacy 1:1 phone counselling http://intensivecarehotline.com/one-on-one-counselling/ Become a member for families of critically ill Patients in Intensive Care https://intensivecarehotline.com/intensivecaresupport-org-membership/ Immediate action steps http://intensivecarehotline.com/take-control-take-charge/immediate-action-steps/ https://intensivecareathome.com And if you need a medical record review, click on the link and we can help you with reviewing your loved one’s medical records while they’re in ICU. https://intensivecarehotline.thrivecart.com/review-of-medical-records/ Facebook Page: https://www.facebook.com/ICUhotline Twitter: https://twitter.com/icuhotline Here are the phone options One day 1:1 consulting and advocacy FACE TO FACE or via zoom $20,000 per day https://intensivecarehotline.thrivecart.com/one-day-11-consulting-in-person-face/ 30 days 24/7 unlimited 1:1 phone and email support, including speaking to doctors and nurses directly, as well as participating in family meetings over the phone for $3,299 https://intensivecarehotline.thrivecart.com/thirty-days-11-phone-consulting-us/ 14 days 24/7 unlimited 1:1 phone and email support, including speaking to doctors and nurses directly, as well as participating in family meetings over the phone for $1,999 https://intensivecarehotline.thrivecart.com/fourteen-days-11-phone-consulting-us/ 7 days 24/7 unlimited 1:1 phone and email support, including speaking to doctors and nurses directly, as well as participating in family meetings over the phone for $1,299 https://intensivecarehotline.thrivecart.com/seven-days-11-phone-consulting-us/ 4 days 24/7 unlimited 1:1 phone and email support, including speaking to doctors and nurses directly, as well as participating in family meetings over the phone for $999 https://intensivecarehotline.thrivecart.com/four-days-11-phone-consulting-us/ 2 days 24/7 unlimited 1:1 phone and email support, including speaking to doctors and nurses directly, as well as participating in family meetings over the phone for $499 https://intensivecarehotline.thrivecart.com/two-days-11-phone-consulting-us/ You don’t have to use the 2, 4, 7, or 14 days in a row and you can use the days at your own pace. Here's the hour option Book 60 minutes 1:1 phone consulting and advocacy for $249 (can be credited towards any of the options above)- click on the link https://intensivecarehotline.thrivecart.com/one-hour-11-phone-consulting-us/ Or you can join the membership here where you have access to me in the membership area for only US $199/ month where I advise daily and where you also have access to more material including all of our eBooks! Furthermore, you’ll get a 20% discount for 1:1 phone consulting and advocacy if you are a member! https://intensivecarehotline.thrivecart.com/membership-us/ Here is also a link to case studies https://intensivecarehotline.com/category/questions/ https://intensivecareathome.com/category/case-studies/ Song: Jarico - Island Music supported by@FreeBackgroundMusicForCreators #BackgroundMusicWithoutLimitations https://bit.ly/2XoXFnb #icu #intensivecare #criticalcare

https://intensivecareathome.com/we-want-my-mom-at-home-and-let-her-approach-end-of-life-at-home-what-should-we-do/ We Want My Mom at Home and Let Her Approach End of Life at Home. What Should We Do? Book your free 15-minute phone consultation here http://intensivecarehotline.com/scheduling-appointment/ Call directly 24/7 +1 415-915-0090 USA/Canada +44 118 324 3018 UK +6141 094 2230 Australia Email support@intensivecarehotline.com Get 1:1 consulting and advocacy 1:1 phone counselling http://intensivecarehotline.com/one-on-one-counselling/ Become a member for families of critically ill Patients in Intensive Care https://intensivecarehotline.com/intensivecaresupport-org-membership/ Immediate action steps http://intensivecarehotline.com/take-control-take-charge/immediate-action-steps/ https://intensivecareathome.com And if you need a medical record review, click on the link and we can help you with reviewing your loved one’s medical records while they’re in ICU. https://intensivecarehotline.thrivecart.com/review-of-medical-records/ Facebook Page: https://www.facebook.com/ICUhotline Twitter: https://twitter.com/icuhotline #icu #intensivecare #criticalcare In today’s video blog. I want to answer another question from one of our readers and clients. And today’s question is, my mom is 53 and she’s in ICU with sepsis for over three weeks and the ICU doesn’t want to do a tracheostomy. We Want My Mom at Home and Let Her Approach End of Life at Home. What Should We Do? So, one of our readers and clients Charlotte writes the following email. My 53-year old mother got sepsis and had been in ICU for three weeks on a ventilator. She also has leukemia and COPD. The kidneys were failing. And so they did dialysis for the last 10 days. They’ve had her in an induced coma the whole time she’s been in ICU, the liver is failing. She went into atrial fibrillation, so they had to shock her heart back into a regular sinus rhythm. And now she contracted pneumonia. They can’t get her off the ventilator now because she keeps dropping her oxygen levels. The ICU said her kidneys have recovered, but they have been requesting for me to sign a DNR or “Do Not Resuscitate” order and they are suggesting that a hospice might be best for my mother because they can’t get her off the ventilator. They won’t reduce the sedation because when they do, she gets agitated and her heart rate gets up too high. They finally let me see her today and they told me if she recovered, she’d be in a nursing facility for the rest of her life. They again asked me to put the DNR in place and Friday we are supposed to bring the hospice people in. They don’t want to try the tracheostomy because she’s already had one a couple of years ago and the scar tissue would make it difficult they said. Last week they had the ventilator support down to 35% oxygen and she was even able to breathe with just BiPAP for two hours but then they put the ventilator back on and it’s working at 80% FiO2 now, and she’s on a PEEP of 15. https://intensivecarehotline.com/questions/my-dad-is-still-vulnerable-and-needs-a-higher-level-of-monitoring-why-did-they-put-him-at-a-spot-far-from-the-nurses-station/ We Want My Mom at Home and Let Her Approach End of Life at Home. What Should We Do? They said she has squeezed hands and eyes on command a lot but when I’ve seen her, she was lifeless. I asked the ICU if they can get the sedation down enough for me to see her eyes one last time before they want to bring in the hospice and they said no, because of the COVID situation. I don’t trust the doctors and the nurses, and she never filled out any advanced care directives so I’m having to make all the decisions that I believe by mother deserves a chance and she should have everything done. I believe she should have a tracheostomy and then go home with intensive care at home. So what should we be doing?... Continue reading at: https://intensivecareathome.com/we-want-my-mom-at-home-and-let-her-approach-end-of-life-at-home-what-should-we-do/

https://intensivecarehotline.com/questions/my-dad-is-in-icu-on-a-ventilator-with-tracheostomy-is-it-true-that-my-dad-can-go-home-with-services-like-intensive-care-at-home/ My Dad is in ICU on a Ventilator with Tracheostomy. Is it True that My Dad Can Go Home with Services like Intensive Care at Home? Book your free 15-minute phone consultation here http://intensivecarehotline.com/scheduling-appointment/ Call directly 24/7 +1 415-915-0090 USA/Canada +44 118 324 3018 UK +6141 094 2230 Australia Email support@intensivecarehotline.com Get 1:1 consulting and advocacy 1:1 phone counselling http://intensivecarehotline.com/one-on-one-counselling/ Become a member for families of critically ill Patients in Intensive Care https://intensivecarehotline.com/intensivecaresupport-org-membership/ Immediate action steps http://intensivecarehotline.com/take-control-take-charge/immediate-action-steps/ https://intensivecareathome.com And if you need a medical record review, click on the link and we can help you with reviewing your loved one’s medical records while they’re in ICU. https://intensivecarehotline.thrivecart.com/review-of-medical-records/ Facebook Page: https://www.facebook.com/ICUhotline Twitter: https://twitter.com/icuhotline #icu #intensivecare #criticalcare In this episode of “YOUR QUESTIONS ANSWERED” I want to answer a question from one of my clients Anna as part of my 1:1 consulting and advocacy service! Anna’s dad is in ICU on a ventilator with tracheostomy and she is asking if her dad can really go home with services like the intensive care at home. My Dad is in ICU on a Ventilator with Tracheostomy. Is it True that My Dad Can Go Home with Services like Intensive Care at Home? Hi Anna, Very nice to hear from you! Even though your Dad’s by no way out of the woods, his neurology has definitely improved! Keep him engaged and get him watching TV etc. Because there clearly is this pattern with risk of infection and antibiotics ongoing, the only way to break out of the vicious cycle is to get him off the ventilator and out of ICU! Kind regards, Patrik RECOMMENDED: Membership for families in Intensive Care Book your free consultation call here Check out our Ebooks and videos Hi Patrik, Many thanks for your email. A big help as always. I have just done a purchase again on PayPal. The consultant on yesterday called my stepmom in for a meeting. She said dad has a staphylococcal infection, which they are treating with antibiotics. (I will find out what antibiotic when I go in tomorrow; I’m driving down there tonight) The consultant feels he is very weak. They did a CT scan which showed his lungs are no worse, no better. He is coughing up a lot of yucky stuff which they are suctioning off. Apparently they tried him off the ventilator yesterday but he struggled. Patrik: It’s probably best if you send me another picture of the ventilator and I can comment on it. The consultant says there are a few warning signs on renal function again. I will ask for specifics. Patrik: Yes please, get the specifics. The consultant said her view remains unchanged from the beginning – that he is unlikely to survive... Continue reading at: https://intensivecarehotline.com/questions/my-dad-is-in-icu-on-a-ventilator-with-tracheostomy-is-it-true-that-my-dad-can-go-home-with-services-like-intensive-care-at-home/

https://intensivecareathome.com/what-is-the-requirement-for-intensive-care-nursing-staff-at-home-for-home-tpn/ What is the Requirement for Intensive Care Nursing Staff at Home for Home TPN? Book your free 15-minute phone consultation here http://intensivecarehotline.com/scheduling-appointment/ Call directly 24/7 +1 415-915-0090 USA/Canada +44 118 324 3018 UK +6141 094 2230 Australia Email support@intensivecarehotline.com Get 1:1 consulting and advocacy 1:1 phone counselling http://intensivecarehotline.com/one-on-one-counselling/ Become a member for families of critically ill Patients in Intensive Care https://intensivecarehotline.com/intensivecaresupport-org-membership/ Immediate action steps http://intensivecarehotline.com/take-control-take-charge/immediate-action-steps/ https://intensivecareathome.com And if you need a medical record review, click on the link and we can help you with reviewing your loved one’s medical records while they’re in ICU. https://intensivecarehotline.thrivecart.com/review-of-medical-records/ Facebook Page: https://www.facebook.com/ICUhotline Twitter: https://twitter.com/icuhotline #icu #intensivecare #criticalcare In today’s blog, I want to focus a little more on home TPN or about TPN in general and today’s episode in the blog is What is the Requirement for Intensive Care Nursing Staff at Home for Home TPN? So, we are certainly learning with intensive care at home that there’s an increased demand for patients or clients on home TPN or PN. Now, for those of you who haven’t heard of TPN, TPN stands for total parenteral nutrition, and it’s basically intravenous nutrition, and it’s often given for people with conditions such as gastroparesis, or simply an inability to digest nutrition, gastric cancer or they might have had a Whipples procedure or other conditions that lead to the inability to take in oral or PEG feeds and they need total parenteral nutrition or TPN. PN stands for parenteral nutrition. The difference between TPN and PN is simply that if clients get TPN their only form of nutrition is TPN and when the reference is made to PN or parenteral nutrition, clients have other forms of nutrition also. So then the question is, can clients on TPN or PN go home? Yes of course absolutely. Think about it, if ventilated and tracheostomy patients can go home with intensive care at home, then clients requiring TPN can definitely go home. We have certainly looked after patients at home on TPN. And the way we do this is basically by liaising with the hospitals to get those patients home. We are often liaising with the gastroenterology team or with dieticians, nutritionists, etc… So what is actually needed to get a patient home on home TPN? Well, the patients or clients need a PICC line or a central line which is a device that enables patients to receive TPN or total parental nutrition. They can’t have it through a ‘normal’ IV cannula. It needs to be given through a PICC line or a central line or a CVC catheter. And that is also why patients on home TPN need intensive care nurses because looking after a PICC line, central line, as well as TPN is a very specialized skill that usually only ICU nurses have or critical care nurses have because to access the central line catheter or the PICC line needs to be done sterile. Central lines (CVC’s) or PICC lines are rarely being used outside of intensive Care Units, therefore it is a skill that mainly ICU/PICU nurses have. A central line (CVC) needs to be flushed in a sterile way to keep the PICC line or central line patent, clean, and free from infection. Also when TPN is being prepared and connected to the patient again, that needs to be done in a sterile manner and people that have worked in the intensive care have that specialist training and skill. Now next, when someone is on TPN through an infusion pump, the pump may alarm quite frequently actually because TPN is actually known to have frequent air alarms. So even if there’s only a micro bubble of air in the IV giving set, the infusion pump frequently alarms and the ICU nurse then needs to make sure that the infusion giving set is free of air, so that there’s no air going into the patient’s vein, of course, because that could be really detrimental for a patient’s safety, could potentially cause an air embolus and so forth. So therefore for the period of time that a client is receiving home TPN which is often up to 24 hours a day, an intensive care nurse needs to be present to manage the TPN, manage the pump and manage any alarms that may come up... Continue reading at: https://intensivecareathome.com/what-is-the-requirement-for-intensive-care-nursing-staff-at-home-for-home-tpn/

https://intensivecarehotline.com/questions/icu-vs-intensive-care-at-home-vs-ltac/ ICU vs Intensive Care at Home vs LTAC? Book your free 15-minute phone consultation here http://intensivecarehotline.com/scheduling-appointment/ Call directly 24/7 +1 415-915-0090 USA/Canada +44 118 324 3018 UK +6141 094 2230 Australia Email support@intensivecarehotline.com Get 1:1 consulting and advocacy 1:1 phone counselling http://intensivecarehotline.com/one-on-one-counselling/ Become a member for families of critically ill Patients in Intensive Care https://intensivecarehotline.com/intensivecaresupport-org-membership/ Immediate action steps http://intensivecarehotline.com/take-control-take-charge/immediate-action-steps/ https://intensivecareathome.com And if you need a medical record review, click on the link and we can help you with reviewing your loved one’s medical records while they’re in ICU. https://intensivecarehotline.thrivecart.com/review-of-medical-records/ Facebook Page: https://www.facebook.com/ICUhotline Twitter: https://twitter.com/icuhotline #icu #intensivecare #criticalcare This is another episode of your questions answered and in today’s episode, I want to answer a question that we get so frequently that it’s really time to look into this into more depth. It is actually a case study that is actually a real case study from a client. However, the question is a question that I really want to answer on a more general level. The question today is, ICU vs Intensive Care at Home vs LTAC? ICU vs Intensive Care at Home vs LTAC? So let me break this down today for you, so that you have all the answers and that you can make informed decisions, get peace of mind, control, power, and influence when it comes to these very important and also often life or death decisions that you need to make when your loved one is in ICU with ventilation and tracheostomy. So let me read out this email from Zia and she writes. My 67-year-old dad was sent to the emergency department after being ill for about 12 days at home, we were told on the phone due to no hospital visitations regulations at the moment because of the COVID several hours later, that he was severely dehydrated and in acute renal failure. He was admitted to the ICU and intubated and two more COVID tests were performed all coming back negative, even though we told them the first text test was negative. Honestly, I think they were treating him as a COVID patient initially which is why he was intubated. They claim to “protect his airway”. Several days later, they recognized a clot on his leg and he had a DVT which became a PE, PE stands for pulmonary embolism. Something he has had in another state eight years ago. So it actually wasn’t in his chart. RECOMMENDED: Membership for families in Intensive Care Book your free consultation call here Check out our Ebooks and videos Anyway, currently he has a tracheostomy and all the hospital wants to do is to transfer him to an LTAC. They called this morning saying they had found a bed for him in an LTAC facility, and they need consent from us as a family. We, as a family, didn’t give consent and I came across your websites intensive care hotline and intensive care at home and we’d love to hear your input in regards to weaning him off the ventilator. I have had several discussions and finally we are at the place where he gets taken off the ventilator for a few hours a day, goes on a CPAP mode or room air, and then back on the ventilator to get him to rest. According to the ICU team, we don’t want him in an LTAC. I’m concerned about infections and even bed sores and lack of quality care. I would much rather engage a service like intensive care at home. If my dad can’t come off the ventilator, I’m really looking forward to your thoughts and advice... Continue reading at: https://intensivecarehotline.com/questions/icu-vs-intensive-care-at-home-vs-ltac/

https://intensivecareathome.com/is-it-true-that-patients-with-duchenne-muscular-dystrophy-syndrome-with-a-tracheostomy-have-a-better-quality-of-life-at-home-rather-than-in-icu/ Is it True that Patients with Duchenne Muscular Dystrophy Syndrome with a Tracheostomy Have a Better Quality of Life at Home Rather than in ICU? Book your free 15-minute phone consultation here http://intensivecarehotline.com/scheduling-appointment/ Call directly 24/7 +1 415-915-0090 USA/Canada +44 118 324 3018 UK +6141 094 2230 Australia Email support@intensivecarehotline.com Get 1:1 consulting and advocacy 1:1 phone counselling http://intensivecarehotline.com/one-on-one-counselling/ Become a member for families of critically ill Patients in Intensive Care https://intensivecarehotline.com/intensivecaresupport-org-membership/ Immediate action steps http://intensivecarehotline.com/take-control-take-charge/immediate-action-steps/ https://intensivecareathome.com And if you need a medical record review, click on the link and we can help you with reviewing your loved one’s medical records while they’re in ICU. https://intensivecarehotline.thrivecart.com/review-of-medical-records/ Facebook Page: https://www.facebook.com/ICUhotline Twitter: https://twitter.com/icuhotline #icu #intensivecare #criticalcare In today’s blog, I want to focus on Duchenne muscular dystrophy syndrome, and again, focusing on whether they should have a tracheostomy or not. So today’s question in this blog is Is it True that Patients with Duchenne Muscular Dystrophy Syndrome with a Tracheostomy Have a Better Quality of Life at Home Rather than in ICU? So after having worked in intensive care and also with intensive care at home for over 20 years, I have found again, very different approaches when it comes to tracheostomies for Duchenne Muscular Syndrome, for Duchenne Muscular Dystrophy patients. And obviously this Duchenne syndrome is a disease, a genetic disease that only comes up usually for children or for young adults. And often here, what I found is that, those young patients get denied a tracheostomy when it comes to the time when their breathing is failing, when they go into respiratory failure. And patients get denied a tracheostomy to prolong their life because people think or health professionals, I should say in intensive care in particular, think that those patients wouldn’t have any perceived quality of life. Well, nothing could be further from the truth because the fact of the matter is, that with services like intensive care at home, there is no need for someone with Duchenne Muscular Syndrome to stay in ICU for the rest of their lives. Some literature suggests that if patients with Duchenne Muscular Syndrome have a tracheostomy and can’t come off the ventilator that they stay in intensive care for the rest of their lives. Well, again, nothing could be further from the truth because patients can actually go home with our service intensive care at home, cut the cost of an ICU bed by 50% and provide patients and families with better quality of life and in some instances, quality of end of life for Duchenne Muscular Syndrome children and it provides a win-win situation... Continue reading at: https://intensivecareathome.com/is-it-true-that-patients-with-duchenne-muscular-dystrophy-syndrome-with-a-tracheostomy-have-a-better-quality-of-life-at-home-rather-than-in-icu/

INTENSIVE CARE AT HOME is hiring ICU/PICU nurses with a minimum of two years ICU/PICU experience and ideally a postgraduate critical care qualification in Melbourne and in Sydney! For more information contact Patrik Hutzel on 041 094 2230 or email patrik@intensivecareathome.com Check out our career section as well! https://intensivecareathome.com/careers/ Book your free 15-minute phone consultation here http://intensivecarehotline.com/scheduling-appointment/ Call directly 24/7 +1 415-915-0090 USA/Canada +44 118 324 3018 UK +6141 094 2230 Australia Email support@intensivecarehotline.com Get 1:1 consulting and advocacy 1:1 phone counselling http://intensivecarehotline.com/one-on-one-counselling/ Become a member for families of critically ill Patients in Intensive Care https://intensivecarehotline.com/intensivecaresupport-org-membership/ Immediate action steps http://intensivecarehotline.com/take-control-take-charge/immediate-action-steps/ https://intensivecareathome.com And if you need a medical record review, click on the link and we can help you with reviewing your loved one’s medical records while they’re in ICU. https://intensivecarehotline.thrivecart.com/review-of-medical-records/ Facebook Page: https://www.facebook.com/ICUhotline Twitter: https://twitter.com/icuhotline #icu #intensivecare #criticalcare

https://intensivecareathome.com/can-my-husband-go-home-after-a-stroke-and-a-tracheostomy-to-be-weaned-off-the-ventilator-at-home/ Can my Husband Go Home After a Stroke and a Tracheostomy To Be Weaned Off the Ventilator at Home? Book your free 15-minute phone consultation here http://intensivecarehotline.com/scheduling-appointment/ Call directly 24/7 +1 415-915-0090 USA/Canada +44 118 324 3018 UK +6141 094 2230 Australia Email support@intensivecarehotline.com Get 1:1 consulting and advocacy 1:1 phone counselling http://intensivecarehotline.com/one-on-one-counselling/ Become a member for families of critically ill Patients in Intensive Care https://intensivecarehotline.com/intensivecaresupport-org-membership/ Immediate action steps http://intensivecarehotline.com/take-control-take-charge/immediate-action-steps/ https://intensivecareathome.com And if you need a medical record review, click on the link and we can help you with reviewing your loved one’s medical records while they’re in ICU. https://intensivecarehotline.thrivecart.com/review-of-medical-records/ Facebook Page: https://www.facebook.com/ICUhotline Twitter: https://twitter.com/icuhotline #icu #intensivecare #criticalcare In today’s blog, I want to answer another question from one of our readers and prospective clients and Vesna is asking whether her husband can go home after a stroke and a tracheostomy to be weaned off the ventilator at home. Can my Husband Go Home After a Stroke and a Tracheostomy To Be Weaned Off the Ventilator at Home? So I’ll read out Vesna’s question and she writes My husband, Steven has had a stroke last Sunday with damage to the medulla area of his brain causing limited motion and breathing issues. He was put on a ventilator on Monday night. I was told yesterday that he will be receiving a tracheostomy on Monday and that he would then be weaned off the ventilator as a next step. We don’t know how long that’s going to take. My husband had a disability after a back and neck injury, about 10 years ago, which is sustained in a car accident. He has however, remained very active and he’s very strong. I know my husband well enough to know that he wants to come home. He will recover so much better at home. My son and daughter in law will move in with me to help care for him as well. My son is a paramedic. My other son and daughter will be moving next door. So the question is, from me, I want to bring my husband home. If he will die, I want him to die at home. Can intensive care at home help? I understand that if he has a ventilator and a tracheostomy that he needs 24-hour nursing care at home with intensive care nurses, is that something intensive care at home can help with? From Vesna. Thank you Vesna for asking such a great question. So, I believe from what you were sharing with me, it’s very early days to look at intensive care at home. Simple reason for that is, your husband needs to have a trial to come off the ventilator first. So you haven’t really shared what ventilator settings he’s on. You know, how well is he doing on the ventilator? Are they mobilizing him? Is he getting out of bed? Can he take steps to be weaned off the ventilator? Now, whilst we have successfully wean patients off the ventilator at home, your husband is in the very early stages of being weaned off the ventilator and he might be off the ventilator in a few weeks, he may not. If he can’t come off the ventilator in a few weeks, you should absolutely look at service like intensive care at home. But please keep in mind that when someone comes off the ventilator, it’s much easier to go home without a ventilator and without a tracheostomy. A recovery after a stroke, without a ventilator, and a tracheostomy can take quite some time. If you are sending your husband home straight away with ventilation and tracheostomy it might be too complicated and it could get avoided. Just by simply giving him a couple of weeks in ICU, let them wean him off the ventilator and hopefully all goes well, then you can take him home without a ventilator and a tracheostomy and that would be the goal. Again, if ventilation weaning fails and he still needs the ventilator and the tracheostomy, absolutely intensive care at home can take your husband home from ICU with 24-hour intensive home care nursing. So that is a great solution after your husband has failed weaning off the ventilator in ICU, but it hasn’t come to that point yet. Another option we can provide is simply if your husband can come off the ventilator, but for whatever reason, can’t be without a tracheostomy, we can help with tracheostomy care at home as well... Continue reading at: https://intensivecareathome.com/can-my-husband-go-home-after-a-stroke-and-a-tracheostomy-to-be-weaned-off-the-ventilator-at-home/

https://intensivecareathome.com/can-intensive-care-at-home-help-with-getting-our-son-home/ Can Intensive Care at Home Help with Getting our Son Home? Book your free 15-minute phone consultation here http://intensivecarehotline.com/scheduling-appointment/ Call directly 24/7 +1 415-915-0090 USA/Canada +44 118 324 3018 UK +6141 094 2230 Australia Email support@intensivecarehotline.com Get 1:1 consulting and advocacy 1:1 phone counselling http://intensivecarehotline.com/one-on-one-counselling/ Become a member for families of critically ill Patients in Intensive Care https://intensivecarehotline.com/intensivecaresupport-org-membership/ Immediate action steps http://intensivecarehotline.com/take-control-take-charge/immediate-action-steps/ https://intensivecareathome.com And if you need a medical record review, click on the link and we can help you with reviewing your loved one’s medical records while they’re in ICU. https://intensivecarehotline.thrivecart.com/review-of-medical-records/ Facebook Page: https://www.facebook.com/ICUhotline Twitter: https://twitter.com/icuhotline #icu #intensivecare #criticalcare In today’s blog, I want to answer another question from one of our readers and prospective clients today. I want to answer a question from Frank. Can Intensive Care at Home Help with Getting our Son Home? So Frank writes in, he says, Hi Patrik, our 22-year old son has a tracheostomy and he has been ventilated and he has been recently moved from ICU to a step down unit where he’s now just with a tracheostomy and it’s like a respiratory ward and he’s been weaned off the ventilator now for at least a couple of weeks. Now he seems to be stuck there on the ward and we feel very unsure about this respiratory ward, because we have seen in intensive care that the doctors and the nurses were very capable of looking after tracheostomy ventilation and now on the ward, we feel like our son is almost getting neglected. They have not mapped out a plan for getting him home. He probably will need the tracheostomy for quite some time to come because he’s unable to swallow at the moment and he’s unable to cough so that he can clear his secretions. We would love to have him at home to recover because it’s so difficult what we are going through, especially with some of the hospitals still having COVID-19 restrictions so we can’t really visit him and we can’t be with him around the clock like we need to be. Can intensive care at home help with getting our son home? From Frank Hi Frank, thank you so much for asking this question and absolutely if your son is stuck on a respiratory ward in the hospital, not ventilated, but he does need the tracheostomy still, then definitely we can help getting him home with intensive care at home with 24 hour nursing care with intensive care nurses that are tracheostomy and ventilation competent. I can absolutely understand your hesitation and your apprehension, having your son on the respiratory ward, where he’s probably looked after by some of the nurses that are not 100% tracheostomy competent, and it is a specialist skill to look after someone with a tracheostomy, even when they’re not ventilated, the risk of something going wrong is significant and also deadly if things do go wrong! And the reason I’m mentioning that is that, unfortunately in the last few weeks, we actually had two clients passed away that did not have 24-hour nursing care with the tracheostomy and those clients unfortunately passed away while there was no nurse present, even though we and the families had advocated for 24-hour nursing care with an intensive care nurse, the funding body/ health insurance was still assessing the application. Well, unfortunately, it’s now too late because very young clients have passed away and it’s just very tragic. And there is also evidence from the mechanical home ventilation guidelines that we publish on our website. The evidence clearly demands that an intensive care nurse has to be present 24 hours a day for someone with a tracheostomy or with a ventilator. You can find the mechanical home ventilation guidelines here https://intensivecareathome.com/mechanical-home-ventilation-guidelines/ So we’re not sure why the funding bodies are assessing because the evidence is there and money should never be in the way of saving people’s lives. But unfortunately this is what’s happened recently for some of our clients and it’s just a disgrace and people need to take accountability for delaying funding decisions that probably have led to very young clients passing away... Continue reading at: https://intensivecareathome.com/can-intensive-care-at-home-help-with-getting-our-son-home/

https://intensivecarehotline.com/questions/my-mom-is-critically-ill-in-icu-and-the-icu-team-is-giving-up-on-her-what-should-i-do/ My Mom is Critically Ill in ICU and the ICU Team is Giving Up on Her. What Should I do? Book your free 15-minute phone consultation here http://intensivecarehotline.com/scheduling-appointment/ Call directly 24/7 +1 415-915-0090 USA/Canada +44 118 324 3018 UK +6141 094 2230 Australia Email support@intensivecarehotline.com Get 1:1 consulting and advocacy 1:1 phone counselling http://intensivecarehotline.com/one-on-one-counselling/ Become a member for families of critically ill Patients in Intensive Care https://intensivecarehotline.com/intensivecaresupport-org-membership/ Immediate action steps http://intensivecarehotline.com/take-control-take-charge/immediate-action-steps/ https://intensivecareathome.com And if you need a medical record review, click on the link and we can help you with reviewing your loved one’s medical records while they’re in ICU. https://intensivecarehotline.thrivecart.com/review-of-medical-records/ Facebook Page: https://www.facebook.com/ICUhotline Twitter: https://twitter.com/icuhotline #icu #intensivecare #criticalcare In this episode of “YOUR QUESTIONS ANSWERED” I want to answer a question from one of my clients Toni as part of my 1:1 consulting and advocacy service! Toni’s mom is critically ill in ICU and Toni is asking how she can fight for her mom’s life whilst ICU team is giving up on her mom. My Mom is Critically Ill in ICU and the ICU Team is Giving Up on Her. What Should I do? My Mom is Critically Ill in ICU and the ICU Team is Giving Up on Her. What Should I do? Hi Toni, Nice to talk to you a moment ago. As I mentioned, the biggest challenge for families in intensive care is that you don’t know what you don’t know. Assessing if your Mom can come off the ventilator is dependent on multiple factors that need to be assessed. It’s inappropriate for the ICU team to challenge your Mom’s advanced care directive. After having worked in intensive care for 20 years I can help you fast making the right decisions and guide you with the decision making process, including but not limited to talking to the doctors directly or setting you up with the right questions to ask. Regards, Patrik RECOMMENDED: Membership for families in Intensive Care Book your free consultation call here Check out our Ebooks and videos Hi Patrik, I’m sorry it took so long for me to get back to you! I was finding ways to get my Mom’s medical records and we were able to access them online today. We feel a strong sense of urgency to get my Mom transferred because we do not feel they have been honest based upon her medical X-rays. We were told on February 22 by her doctor that my Mom suffered a punctured lung during her intubation but now they are saying she never had one. However, notes on her X-rays seem to contradict that. So I wanted to see if I can sign up for the hour consult so you can go through her chest X-rays and help us clinically understand what they are saying. Just let me know your thoughts. Again, this is a major sense of urgency so please let me know if you can help us out. I almost feel a bit panicked knowing they have not been honest. I know I mentioned to you that we felt they discharged her too early on January 10 which then led to her having to be re-admitted on February 2. Our concern is she was intubated on February 21 and we were never given a solid reason as to why and then told on February 22 she had a punctured lung. Now they say she never had a punctured lung and actually want us to take her off the ventilation and let her go. They were going to discharge her on February 20 and then all this happened. Something just isn’t right!! Regards, Toni Hi Toni, We’re just reviewing the chest X-ray reports. Do you know if your mom has a pleural drain or chest drain? Also, would there be any chance you could send us a picture of the ventilator and the bedside monitor with the vital signs? Kind regards, Patrik RECOMMENDED: YOU DON’T KNOW WHAT YOU DON’T KNOW WHEN YOUR LOVED ONE IS CRITICALLY ILL IN INTENSIVE CARE! (PART 1) YOU DON’T KNOW WHAT YOU DON’T KNOW WHEN YOUR LOVED ONE IS CRITICALLY ILL IN INTENSIVE CARE! (PART 2) WHY DECISION MAKING IN INTENSIVE CARE GOES WAY BEYOND YOUR CRITICALLY ILL LOVED ONE’S DIAGNOSIS AND PROGNOSIS! Hi Patrik, She does not have a pleural drain or chest drain and they can take the picture first thing in the morning... Continue reading at: https://intensivecarehotline.com/questions/my-mom-is-critically-ill-in-icu-and-the-icu-team-is-giving-up-on-her-what-should-i-do/

https://intensivecareathome.com/my-husband-has-been-in-intensive-care-in-sydney-for-six-weeks-hes-got-a-tracheostomy-and-is-ventilated-can-he-go-home/ My Husband has been in Intensive Care in Sydney for Six Weeks. He's got a Tracheostomy and is Ventilated. Can He Go Home? Book your free 15-minute phone consultation here http://intensivecarehotline.com/scheduling-appointment/ Call directly 24/7 +1 415-915-0090 USA/Canada +44 118 324 3018 UK +6141 094 2230 Australia Email support@intensivecarehotline.com Get 1:1 consulting and advocacy 1:1 phone counselling http://intensivecarehotline.com/one-on-one-counselling/ Become a member for families of critically ill Patients in Intensive Care https://intensivecarehotline.com/intensivecaresupport-org-membership/ Immediate action steps http://intensivecarehotline.com/take-control-take-charge/immediate-action-steps/ https://intensivecareathome.com And if you need a medical record review, click on the link and we can help you with reviewing your loved one’s medical records while they’re in ICU. https://intensivecarehotline.thrivecart.com/review-of-medical-records/ Facebook Page: https://www.facebook.com/ICUhotline Twitter: https://twitter.com/icuhotline #icu #intensivecare #criticalcare In today’s blog. I want to answer a question from one of our readers and the question today is My Husband has been in Intensive Care in Sydney for Six Weeks. He’s got a Tracheostomy and is Ventilated. Can He Go Home? So I want to read out Katie’s question and Katie writes, Hi Patrik, I am gathering information for my 60-year old husband who has been in intensive care for six weeks now with a negative cycle that continues and doctors and nurses who are very nice, are unable to get to the bottom of things or get the right dosages of medications to keep him calm and also get him off the ventilator. He is currently in ICU in Sydney. He initially was admitted with pneumonia. He’s got a history of COPD and he’s now got a cycle going on with low blood pressure and poor kidney perfusion. He’s not only on the ventilator with a tracheostomy, he’s also on kidney dialysis. It’s complicated by atrial fibrillation and by a high heart rate. We are looking to bring him home as soon as possible, but we need a knowledgeable nursing team to help us getting him home and we also need funding to get him home. We are in Sydney and new South Wales, Australia. Are there services available near us? Thank you. From Katie Hi Katie, Thank you so much for sending your question in. To answer your question, in short, yes, we are in Sydney and we can help you in Sydney setting up a knowledgeable nursing team, intensive care nursing team to get your husband home on a ventilator with a tracheostomy. I guess what needs to happen next from what you’re sharing is they need to get the atrial fibrillation under control. I don’t know whether he’s getting any Amiodarone, whether he’s getting any digoxin, especially since its fast AF from what you are sharing or have they tried a cardioversion to get him back into a sinus rhythm. Other than that, it sounds like with the low blood pressure, your husband might be on inotropes or vasopressors, and before he can come home, ideally he should be off the inotropes and vasopressors. It would make things easier to get him home if he was more stable. It would probably also help if he came off the kidney dialysis because often what happens when patients are on dialysis in intensive care, their blood pressure goes down and patients end up on inotropes and vasopressors. The combination of atrial fibrillation and the kidney dialysis is often a recipe for getting patients on inotropes and vasopressors. So it would be critical for your husband to get the atrial fibrillation under control and then, he might have a higher chance getting off the inotropes and vasopressors, sustain a physiological blood pressure and perfuse his kidneys and get off the dialysis. Then it would be so much easier to get him home if he was “only ventilated with a tracheostomy”, that in and of itself is a big enough challenge. But then again, with our team and with our expertise, we can get your husband home. And also with the funding, you should definitely contact the NDIS, the national disability insurance scheme. They fund now home care for nursing and I can’t see why your husband wouldn’t qualify for it, with what you have shared... Continue reading at: https://intensivecareathome.com/my-husband-has-been-in-intensive-care-in-sydney-for-six-weeks-hes-got-a-tracheostomy-and-is-ventilated-can-he-go-home/

https://intensivecarehotline.com/questions/icu-hotline-gives-us-the-confidence-to-challenge-the-icu-team-and-fight-to-get-our-mom-home-with-tracheostomy/ ICU Hotline Gives Us the Confidence to Challenge the ICU Team and Fight to Get our Mom Home with Tracheostomy! Book your free 15-minute phone consultation here http://intensivecarehotline.com/scheduling-appointment/ Call directly 24/7 +1 415-915-0090 USA/Canada +44 118 324 3018 UK +6141 094 2230 Australia Email support@intensivecarehotline.com Get 1:1 consulting and advocacy 1:1 phone counselling http://intensivecarehotline.com/one-on-one-counselling/ Become a member for families of critically ill Patients in Intensive Care https://intensivecarehotline.com/intensivecaresupport-org-membership/ Immediate action steps http://intensivecarehotline.com/take-control-take-charge/immediate-action-steps/ https://intensivecareathome.com And if you need a medical record review, click on the link and we can help you with reviewing your loved one’s medical records while they’re in ICU. https://intensivecarehotline.thrivecart.com/review-of-medical-records/ Facebook Page: https://www.facebook.com/ICUhotline Twitter: https://twitter.com/icuhotline #icu #intensivecare #criticalcare In this episode of “YOUR QUESTIONS ANSWERED” I want to share this email from one of our clients Toni as part of our 1:1 consulting and advocacy service! Toni’s mom is in ICU and she is complaining about how the ICU team is treating her mom. Toni is thankful with the intensive care hotline because it gives them the confidence to challenge the ICU team and continue to fight to get their mom home with tracheostomy. ICU Hotline Gives Us the Confidence to Challenge the ICU Team and Fight to Get our Mom Home with Tracheostomy. ICU Hotline Gives Us the Confidence to Challenge the ICU Team and Fight to Get our Mom Home with Tracheostomy. Part 1 Hi Toni, The ventilator picture you have sent pretty much confirms that she’s stuck on a ventilator with lots of support. She’s dependent on 80% of oxygen which is a lot. The air we are breathing consists of 21% oxygen. I wouldn’t ask anyone if you’re allowed to take pictures, just take them. You can make your own decisions. Just ask them what they have to hide. Happy to get on a call tomorrow. Kind regards, Patrik RECOMMENDED: Membership for families in Intensive Care Book your free consultation call here Check out our Ebooks and videos Hello Patrik, Thank you so much for the information today. My sister was told she wasn’t allowed to be taking photos so she was able to get this one before they came in and told her to not take any. Your email was very helpful. I am going to be sending a request to the hospital tomorrow and request a meeting to address your findings. I wasn’t sure if you have any advice and if you would be willing to be on a call. We really feel we need to move quickly with this and any advice you have we will take! I do want to have you as a consultant until we get answers. Please let me know your thoughts and if you would be available tomorrow to be on a call where we address our clinical concerns. Thank you so much, Toni Hello Toni, She can be moved out of the ICU and we can help her to get to another ICU. Let’s see what we can do after the meeting as scheduled as we need to see a clear clinical picture of your mom’s current health situation. We have intensive care at home But unfortunately we are unable to provide services in your area, but we can continue with the consulting and advocacy service for families in intensive care, therefore we can do two things for you: 1) Help you get the outcomes you want for your mom by guiding you through the process. 2) Help you set up intensive home care once your mother is able to. There are very few if any home care service providers that can look after ventilation/tracheostomy at home since it’s such a highly specialized area. Kind regards, Patrik... Continue reading at: https://intensivecarehotline.com/questions/icu-hotline-gives-us-the-confidence-to-challenge-the-icu-team-and-fight-to-get-our-mom-home-with-tracheostomy/