Intensive Care Hotline

is instantly improving the lives for Families of critically ill Patients in Intensive Care, so that they can make informed decisions, have PEACE OF MIND, control, power and influence and therefore stay in control of their Family's and their critically ill loved one's destiny

Contact Intensive Care Hotline
24/7 Phone Access
Need Instant Help? Call Now or... Make an Appointment

YOUR INTENSIVE CARE HOTLINE - Quick Tip for Families in ICU: My Husband Collapsed in the Hospital & is Now in ICU on a Ventilator & Induced Coma, Why is He on Fentanyl?

/ Patrik Hutzel - Critical Care Nurse Consultant / No Comments

Quick Tip for Families in ICU: My Husband Collapsed in the Hospital & is Now in ICU on a Ventilator & Induced Coma, Why is He on Fentanyl?

Podcast: Play in new window | Download

Subscribe: Apple Podcasts | RSS

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

So, today I have an email from Laurel who says, 

“Hi Patrik, 

My husband was initially admitted for a small rash and respiratory issues. He’s only 48 years old. He was admitted for bacterial infection and COVID allegedly. I said this because he already had COVID a few months before, and he was hospitalized for it as well. I tried to contact the nurse four times to no avail. He walked to the bathroom and turned on the shower to try and use the steam to help him breathe better. Somehow, he flooded the shower into the bed area. 

The nurse didn’t tell me what had occurred at first. Now, the nurse passed by and mentioned it. I believe he was placed into a coma on a ventilator because he went without oxygen too long, but they weren’t even going to tell me. He was in a vegetative state. Why would he need fentanyl? He didn’t have any pain. They had him on a fentanyl drip. What happened?”

Well, thank you so much, Laurel for writing in. 

I’ve been saying in my videos here since 2013 that the biggest challenge for families in intensive care is simply that they don’t know what they don’t know. They don’t know what to look for. They don’t know what questions to ask. They don’t know their rights and they don’t know how to manage doctors and nurses in intensive care. That’s exactly what you are dealing with here, Laurel, because you just simply don’t know what you don’t know.

Here is what’s happened. I can confidently explain to you what happened. I have worked in critical care nursing for 25 years in three different countries where I worked as a nurse manager for over five years where I have been consulting and advocating for families in intensive care since 2013 here at intensivecarehotline.com. I can confidently say that we have saved many lives with our consulting and advocacy, and that is verified on our testimonial section at intensivecarehotline.com and it’s also verified on our intensivecarehotline.com podcast section where we have done client interviews.

So, what happened here Laurel is, your husband most likely went into respiratory failure. He probably stopped breathing or wasn’t breathing enough. They had to intubate him. They had to put him on a breathing machine with a breathing tube down his throat. Then, he ended up having fentanyl and the reason he ended up having fentanyl is, most patients are going into an induced coma and on a ventilator are having that because it’s so uncomfortable putting in a breathing tube and it’s so uncomfortable having a breathing tube in the throat that it is very distressing. That’s why your husband would have ended up on fentanyl amongst other things such as either propofol, midazolam/Versed or Precedex/ dexmedetomidine. So, that is why he needs fentanyl. 

Now, you are saying he’s in a vegetative state. What might have happened? The respiratory arrest or respiratory depression might have led to a cardiac arrest, that is actually what might have happened here. If that is the case, your husband needs a CT scan or an MRI (Magnetic Resonance Imaging) scan of the brain to see whether there’s been any brain damage, and that is why that is what needs to happen here next. He might be what you are describing as a vegetative state because of the sedation and the induced coma, or he might be in a vegetative state simply because he has brain damage. So, that is what’s happening here. I’ve seen it hundreds of times.

Now, the other thing that you need to keep in mind, is he on inotropes or vasopressors. What other forms of life support is he on whilst he’s in ICU? Those are all things you need to consider.  

I hope that helps, Laurel.

We have helped hundreds and hundreds of members and clients over the years, families of critically ill patients in intensive care to improve their lives instantly. That’s why we created a membership for families of critically ill patients in intensive care. You can become a member if you go to intensivecarehotline.com if you click on the membership link, or if you go to intensivecaresupport.org directly. In the membership, you have access to me and my team, 24 hours a day, in the membership area and via email, and we answer all questions intensive care related. In the membership, you also have exclusive access to 21 eBooks and 21 videos that I have personally written and recorded. All the resources in the membership area will help you to make informed decisions, have peace of mind, control, power, and influence, helping you to make sure your loved one gets best care and treatment always.

I also do one-on-one consulting and advocacy over the phone, Zoom, WhatsApp, Skype, whichever medium works best for you. I talk to you and your families directly. I handhold you through this once in a lifetime situation that you simply can’t afford to get wrong. I also talk to doctors and nurses directly. When I talk to doctors and nurses directly, I ask all the questions that you haven’t even considered asking but must be asked when you have a loved one critically ill in intensive care.

I also represent you in family meetings with intensive care teams.

We also do medical record reviews in real time. We also do medical record reviews after intensive care if you have unanswered questions, if you need closure, or if you are suspecting medical negligence. 

All of that you get at intensivecarehotline.com. Call us on one of the numbers on the top of our website or simply send us an email to [email protected] with your questions.

If you like my videos, subscribe to my YouTube channel for regular updates for families and intensive care. Click the like button, click the notification bell, and comment below what you want to see next, what questions and insights you have from this video.

I also do a weekly YouTube live where I answer your questions live on a show and in the membership area. You will get notification for the YouTube live if you are a subscriber to my YouTube channel or if you are a subscriber to my intensivecarehotline.com email newsletter at intensivecarehotline.com.

Thank you so much for watching.

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

Take care for now.

 

BOOK YOUR FREE 15-MINUTE CONSULTATION NOW!

Related Articles:

Default ThumbnailQuick Tip for Families in Intensive Care: What Can Happen If You Place a Person on a Ventilator Too Soon or Before it’s Critically Needed? Default ThumbnailQuick Tip for Families in ICU: Why There Can Be Delays with a Tracheostomy with COVID-19 Patient in ICU? Default ThumbnailQuick Tip for Families in ICU: Is My Dad Really in Multi Organ Failure in ICU? Can He Survive? Default ThumbnailQuick Tip for Families in Intensive Care: My Mom’s on ECMO After Open Heart Surgery, Now Kidney Failure, Heart Failure & Fluid Overload, Help! Default ThumbnailQuick Tip for Families in ICU: Giving Mom Time After Stroke and Sedation to See if She’ll Respond!