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Hi, it’s Patrik Hutzel from intensivecarehotline.com with another quick tip for families in intensive care.

Today’s tip is about, “My mom is not waking up after cardiac arrest, CPR (Cardiopulmonary Resuscitation) and no hypoxic brain injury”. But let me read out the email from the reader.

“Hi Patrik,

My mom is 45-years old and she had a sudden cardiac arrest and was brought back to life after one hour of CPR. Today is day 9 since rewarming and taking her off sedation. She doesn’t respond to any commands, but she opens her eyes and moves her legs and arms and responds to pain and her eyes respond to light. This is very, very strange. She’s on a ventilator. Doctors say, she can breathe on her own, but they’re worried about her choking. Tracheostomy will be done on day 10. Her brain CT (Computed Tomography) scan was clear and her MRI (Magnetic Resonance Imaging) brain scan was clear as well. The EEG (Electroencephalograph) was mildly abnormal. I’m so confused. Why is she not coming out of this, if there are no signs of brain damage?”

 

Now, what a great question. What a great case study this is. So, if you have watched any of my videos, have read any of my blogs, one of the most read blog posts on our website, intensivecarehotline.com is, “How long does it take to wake up after an induced coma?” And you can read more there. I’ve also written eBooks about the whole subject, “How long it takes for someone to come out of an induced coma with or without a brain injury?”. Now, assuming your mom’s brain has no damage, she’s still critically ill. She’s been very close to death and you got to give your mom some time to wake up.

There are signs of that. She is slowly waking up. A lot of it also depends on what sedatives has she been on. Are her kidneys functioning? Is her liver functioning? Is she potentially withdrawing from sedatives or opiates? Was she paralyzed during the cooling therapy? Does she have any seizures? Does she have any other underlying pre-medical history that’s potentially contributing to her not waking up? So those are all factors you need to take into consideration.

I think your mom is on a good path, given that she’s survived being so close to death. Give her some time, and if she’s waking up, maybe they can avoid the tracheostomy. And if she’s breathing on her own, they’re right to say that she might be able to breathe on her own. But if she’s not waking up yet, she might need tracheostomy just to let her learn to swallow again. Let her learn to talk again.

So, that might be the right next step. It really depends. It depends on what ventilator settings is she on. It really depends on; can she do purposeful movements? Yet, she doesn’t sound like she can. She’s probably not quite there yet. But other things that might help your mom wake up is physical therapy. Talk to her, show her familiar things, pictures, music that she likes. Talk to her about positive things that might help as well. But overall, you should be very positive here that your mom will get out of this, especially since there’s no brain damage and you got to give people some slack after such a critical illness.

And, read my other videos or blog post or simply give us a call at intensivecarehotline.com at the top of our website where the numbers are. Or simply send me another email to [email protected].

That’s my quick tip for today.

Again, if you have a loved one in intensive care, go to intensivecarehotline.com. Call us on one of the numbers on the top of our website, or send us an email to [email protected].

Also, have a look at our membership for families in intensive care at intensivecaresupport.org, where you have access to me and my team in a membership area and via email. And you can get answers to your questions 24-hours a day.

If you need a medical record review for your loved one in intensive care or after intensive care. If you suspect medical negligence, please contact us as well at intensivecarehotline.com.

And, subscribe to my YouTube channel for regular updates for families in intensive care and Intensive Care at Home. Share the video with your friends and families. Give it a like, click the notification bell and comment below what you want to see next, or what questions and insights you have from this video.

Thanks for watching.

This is Patrik Hutzel from intensivecarehotline.com, and I will talk to you in a few days.