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

In my last quick tip, I shared a video, “Is nitric oxide treatment option for my dad with COVID ARDS in intensive care?” And I elaborated why nitric oxide, even though it might be a little bit old fashioned in some intensive care areas, is an option for COVID ARDS or any ARDS in ICU.

Today’s question is about, “Is epoprostenol, also known as prostacyclin, a treatment option for my dad with COVID ARDS in intensive care?” And the answer to that question is a simple yes because again, if proning and 100% FiO2 (Fraction of Inspired Oxygen), and steroids, and conventional COVID therapy isn’t helping, then, prostacyclin or epoprostenol should definitely be a treatment option because it was used before COVID in ARDS patients, and it should be used now if all other standard approaches don’t work. And I have seen epoprostenol or prostacyclin being very effective in ARDS (Acute Respiratory Distress Syndrome) patients in over 20 years in intensive care in three different countries, where I worked for over five years as a nurse unit manager in intensive care.

So therefore, what it comes down to is this, U.S. families in intensive care, you need to get help and ask the right questions because intensive care teams will only tell you half of the story unless you ask the right questions.

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.

And you got to keep in mind that ARDS in intensive care, whether caused by COVID or by anything else, is high stakes. The mortality for ARDS in intensive care is around 40%. Some literature suggests 50%, so the stakes are really high. You can’t afford to waste a minute and ask the right questions. And that’s what we’re here for at intensivecarehotline.com. We can help you ask the right questions. We can advocate for your loved one in intensive care, and help you ask the right questions, and get best care and treatment for your loved one in intensive care.

Now, 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 simply send us an email to [email protected].

Also, have a look at our membership for families in intensive care at intensivecaresupport.org.. There, you have access to me and my team in a membership area and via email, and you can ask questions there, 24 hours a day. You can check out intensivecaresupport.org for the membership.

If you want a medical record review while your loved one is in intensive care or after intensive care, especially if you suspect medical negligence, you should contact us as well.

I would appreciate if you subscribe to my YouTube channel for regular updates for families in intensive care, share the video with your friends and families, click the like button, 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.