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Hi, it’s Patrik Hutzel from intensivecarehotline.com with another quick tip for families in intensive care.
So this morning, we had an inquiry from a client who has their 65-year old dad in ICU on high flow nasal prongs after a pneumonia.
So the family’s asking, should he be intubated and then proceed to a tracheostomy and then go home with intensive care at home.
Now in a situation like that, we recommend that all clinical aspects need to be looked at first. Now, whilst intensive care at home is a fantastic opportunity and a fantastic solution for long-term ventilated patients with a tracheostomy, you know, our clients dad is not even there, meaning, we don’t even know yet whether he does or he doesn’t need a breathing tube and then proceed to a tracheostomy it’s way too early.
Other options that can be looked at, for example is BiPAP or CPAP ventilation without a breathing tube. And we also need to look at arterial blood gases. We need to look at chest x-ray results. We need to look at the amount of sedation the client is potentially on.
So there’s a multitude of things that need to be looked at before even looking at a breathing tube and then a tracheostomy, you know, the recovery of someone not needing a breathing tube or tracheostomy is so much quicker compared to somebody going home with intensive care at home for tracheostomy and ventilation, which is mainly long-term ventilation and long-term tracheostomy.
So, whilst it’s great that our client is thinking ahead, if intensive care at home can be avoided, you should definitely be avoiding intensive care at home by in the first place, avoiding a breathing tube and a ventilator and then the tracheostomy. And again, we can help with all of that by consulting you and talking to the doctors and finding out, what are arterial blood gases like? What is the sedation like if there is any? What are chest x rays like? What is his sputum retention like and so forth? So there’s a multitude of things to be looked at.
Again, the devil is in the detail, and as I say over and over again, the biggest challenge for families in intensive care is that they simply don’t know what they don’t know.
If you have a loved one in intensive care and you need help, go and check out our case studies at intensivecarehotline.com. Send me an email to [email protected]. Call me on one of the numbers on the top of the website.
Also, go and like this video, comment down below what questions you have, and subscribe to my YouTube channel for new quick tip videos for families in intensive care.
This is Patrik Hutzel from intensivecarehotline.com. And I’ll talk to you in a few days.