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

So, today’s tip is about, “Should you get a second opinion before giving consent to a tracheostomy when your loved one is critically ill in intensive care, ventilated on a breathing tube?” Well, the short answer to this is yes.

When you have a loved one, critically ill in intensive care, the biggest challenge for families is 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. So clearly, you need to get a second opinion when your loved one is critically ill in intensive care especially when it comes to before you give consent to a tracheostomy.

Now, the reality is that you are in a once in a lifetime situation that you can’t afford to get wrong when you have your loved one critically ill in intensive care. Therefore, you need to implement checks and balances. Your loved one’s life is in limbo most of the time when they’re critically ill, in intensive care. So, whilst most intensive care teams have good intentions, you still want to implement checks and balances before you make any major decisions for your critically ill loved one, especially when it comes to tracheostomy, your loved one can’t make the decision themselves unless they have an advanced care plan, but most patients unfortunately don’t. So, the pressure is back on you as a family to make life-changing decisions one way or another.

So how can you obtain a second opinion? Well, here at intensivecarehotline.com, we are specialized on consulting and advocacy for families of critically ill patients in intensive care.

I have worked in critical care for nearly 25 years as a critical care nurse in three different countries where I worked for over five years as a nurse unit manager, and we have a team of highly experienced critical care nurses on our books. Once again, we have specialized on consulting and advocacy for families in intensive care. We have been consulting and advocating for families in intensive care since 2013.

You can look up our testimonial section, what our clients say. I can say without a hint of exaggeration that we have saved many lives for families in intensive care with our consulting and advocacy. You can also watch our podcast where we have done client interviews, who verify for the work that we’ve done.

So, you absolutely need to get a second opinion. What’s the best way to go about it? Get access to the medical records so that we can have a look at the medical records, or I also talk to doctors and nurses directly. I ask all the questions that you haven’t even considered asking when your loved one is in intensive care, and I can draw from my decades worth of intensive care nursing experience asking all the right questions.

That’s also why we have created a membership for families of critically ill patients in intensive care and so that we can help as many families as possible 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 a membership area and via email and we answer all questions intensive care related.

You also have exclusive access to 21 e-books and 21 videos that I have personally written and recorded sharing all my intensive care nursing experience with you so that you can make informed decisions, have peace of mind, control, power, and influence, making sure your loved one gets best care, and the right treatment at the right time.

I also do one-on-one consulting and advocacy over the phone, Skype, Zoom, WhatsApp, whichever medium works best for you. I talk to you and your family directly because you are in a once in a lifetime situation that you can’t afford to get wrong. I’m here to help you order steps through this challenging journey. I also talk to doctors and nurses directly. Again, 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 making sure you can hold your ground in there, making sure you’re not getting walked all over. I’ve been in hundreds of family meetings with intensive care teams either in person or over the phone. Once again, making sure you are well represented, and you know how to position yourself very important.

We also do medical record reviews in real time so that you can get a second opinion 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 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 in intensive care, click the like button, click the notification bell, comment below what you want to see next, what questions and insights you have from this video, share this video with your friends and families.

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

If you want your video done very fast because I have videos sitting in my inbox from last week, but I still haven’t answered on video. Leave a donation on the super chat button here on YouTube or leave a small donation anyway, and I will get to your email as quickly as possible and read it out here anonymously, of course. That way we can help as many families as possible in intensive care, and it’s a win-win situation.

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.

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Quick Tip for Families in ICU: You Were Absolutely Right, LTAC is a Complete Waste of Time After ICU! Quick Tip for Families in ICU: How to Avoid Euthanasia in ICU After Tracheostomy! Quick tip for families in ICU: Two steps forward one step back when your loved one is in ICU! (Part 2) Quick Tip for Families in ICU: Should You Stop Treatment if Your Loved One’s in Multi Organ Failure? Quick Tip for Families in ICU: Should your Loved One Go from ICU to LTAC with Multiple Comorbidities?