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Hi, it’s Patrik Hutzel from INTENSIVECAREHOTLINE.COM , where we instantly improve the lives of Families of critically ill Patients in Intensive Care, so that you can have PEACE OF MIND, real power, real control and so that you can influence decision making fast, even if you’re not a doctor or a nurse in Intensive Care!

This is another episode of “YOUR QUESTIONS ANSWERED” and in last week’s episode I answered another question from one of our readers and the question last week was “My mother has cancer and is in ICU on a ventilator with Tracheostomy and now they want to send her OUT to a long-term facility, HELP!”

You can check out the answer to last week’s question here.

 In this week’s episode of  “YOUR QUESTIONS ANSWERED” I answer another question from one of our readers and the question this week is

“My 84 year old, previously active father is on a ventilator and the dialysis machine in Intensive Care, will his kidneys ever recover?”

 My Name is Al from the United States

Hi Patrik,

My father had Sepsis and his whole life changed within two weeks to the point where he’s dependent on a ventilator as well as daily Dialysis. Prior to the sepsis condition which has been treated, it was announced today that they are going to try to wean him off the ventilator and if he can’t breathe on his own he will have to have a tracheostomy, as well as if the kidneys don’t come back,dialysis for the rest of his life.

He is 84 years old and very active and my question is, he had some kidney disease before the sepsis but never to the point of kidney dialysis only needing diuretics to help him and that was it.

He had a aortic valve replaced with a bypass and survived very well until this sepsis came up and now on top of all this had to have a pacemaker installed because he was having a heart block with both sides of his heat beating irregular, then the Intensive Care team told me his natural pacemaker wasn’t functioning any longer.

Today the Dr told me they are happy with the results of the pacemaker surgery they are going to try to get him off the ventilator and if they can’t, they are going to give him a tracheostomy and give him oxygen that way if he can’t get off the ventilator.

My question is what is a fair amount of time to know to know if you are going to have to be dependent on a ventilator? And what is a fair amount of time to know if his kidneys are going to come back to a normal function, please advise me and let me know.

Thank you for your time . Please respond!

thank you

Al

Dear Al,

thank you for your question and thank you for taking the time to seek out our advice.

I am very sorry to hear what your father and you are going through since he has been critically ill in Intensive Care.

My understanding from what you are describing is that your father had to have an Aortic Valve replacement and he was tracking very well and then he developed Sepsis after surgery. Your father also has had some well controlled kidney failure prior to going into surgery and then ending up in Intensive Care.

I also understand that your father has developed an irregular heart rhythm after he had his Aortic Valve replaced. Your father now has a permanent Pacemaker, which seems to take care of him having a regularly beating heart.

In order to answer your questions you must know that after an Aortic Valve replacement, it’s nothing unusual that the heart goes into an irregular rhythm. Keep in mind that the heart is sliced open during surgery and often the natural pacemaker or the conduction system of the natural pacemaker gets irreversibly damaged during the open heart surgery. Therefore an implanted pacemaker is taking over the function of the intrinsic conduction system.

As it relates to your father’s kidney failure that he is in, there are a couple of things that I can see.

1) Given that he has been having well controlled kidney failure before he has been having open heart surgery, generally speaking there is always a higher risk of developing acute and therefore more severe kidney failure after open heart surgery. The risk is even higher if he has developed Sepsis. Furthermore, low blood pressure, either because of the Sepsis and/or after the surgery may have caused the kidneys to “shut down” and therefore they have stopped working properly.

2) If your father requires kidney dialysis in Intensive Care, this could lead to recovery of the kidneys to the point where his kidney function improves to a previous level of functionality. This is not guaranteed however and I have seen some Intensive Care Patients in similar situations ending up with permanent dialysis. It also depends on how and if he recovers from his Sepsis.

Please also read those two articles(click on the links) here that give you more detailed insights about kidney failure, haemodialysis and Intensive Care

• Why your critically ill loved one might need Dialysis(Kidney machine) or Hemofiltration for Kidney Failure(Renal Failure) and is having a Dialysis machine attached to them(PART ONE)

• How long your critically ill loved one can stay on a Dialysis machine and also what’s happening if your loved one needs Dialysis outside of Intensive Care(PART TWO)

As far as your father’s time on the ventilator is concerned and whether he needs a Tracheostomy, please read the following articles(click on the links below). In those articles we give you everything you need to know about mechanical ventilation and Tracheostomy.

Recommended articles, videos and resources:

• THE 7 ANSWERS TO THE 7 MOST FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS IF YOUR LOVED ONE REQUIRES ONGOING MECHANICAL VENTILATION WITH TRACHEOSTOMY IN INTENSIVE CARE

• FOLLOW THIS PROVEN SYSTEM TO AVOID THE 3 MOST DANGEROUS MISTAKES YOU ARE MAKING BUT YOU ARE UNAWARE OF, IF YOUR LOVED ONE REQUIRES LONG-TERM VENTILATION WITH TRACHEOSTOMY IN INTENSIVE CARE!

• How long should a Patient be on a ventilator before having a Tracheostomy? 

• Why does my loved one need a Tracheostomy in Intensive Care? 

• Tracheostomy and weaning off the ventilator in Intensive Care, how long can it take? 

• How long can a breathing tube or an endotracheal tube can stay in?  

• How long is too long to stay on a ventilator or respirator? 

• How LONG does it take to come off a ventilator/ respirator in Intensive Care? 

 I hope this helps Al and please let me know if you have anymore questions.

 

How can you have PEACE OF MIND, control, power and influence whilst your loved one is critically ill in Intensive Care?

You get to that all important feeling of PEACE OF MIND, CONTROL, POWER AND INFLUENCE when you download your FREE “INSTANT IMPACT” report NOW by entering your email below! In Your FREE “INSTANT IMPACT” report you’ll learn quickly how to get PEACE OF MIND, real power and real control and how you can influence decision making fast, whilst your loved one is critically ill in Intensive Care! Your FREE “INSTANT IMPACT” Report gives you in-depth insight that you must know whilst your loved one is critically ill or is even dying in Intensive Care! Sign up and download your FREE “INSTANT IMPACT” REPORT now by entering your email below!

In your FREE “INSTANT IMPACT” REPORT you’ll learn how to speak the “secret” Intensive Care language so that the doctors and the nurses know straight away that you are an insider and that you know and understand what’s really happening in Intensive Care!

In your FREE report you’ll also discover

• How to ask the doctors and the nurses the right questions
• Discover the many competing interests in Intensive Care and how your critically ill loved one’s treatment may depend on those competing interests
• How to eliminate fear, frustration, stress, struggle and vulnerability even if your loved one is dying
• 5 “killer” tips& strategies helping you to get on the right path to PEACE OF MIND, control, power and influence in your situation
• You’ll get real world examples that you can easily adapt to your and your critically ill loved one’s situation
• How to stop being intimidated by the Intensive Care team and how you will be seen as equals
• You’ll get crucial ‘behind the scenes’ insight so that you know and understand what is really happening in Intensive Care
• How you need to manage doctors and nurses in Intensive Care(it’s not what you think)

Thank you for tuning into this week’s episode of “YOUR QUESTIONS ANSWERED” and I’ll see you again in another update next week!

Make sure you also check out our ”BLOG” section with more tips and strategies or send me an email to [email protected] with your questions!

Also check out our Products section where you get more Ebooks, Videos and Audio recordings and where you can also get 1:1 consulting!

This is Patrik Hutzel from INTENSIVECAREHOTLINE.COM and I’ll see you again next week with another update!

Sincerely, your Friend
Patrik Hutzel

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