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Hi, it’s Patrik Hutzel from intensivecarehotline.com with another quick tip for families in intensive care.
So, a couple of days ago, I published a video and an article with a title, “The ICU consultant refuses to do a spontaneous breathing trial for my mom on FiO2 21% and PEEP of 5, Help!” So, after I published the video, I had an email from a reader, Rosa, who obviously watched the video or read the article and she says, “Thanks, Patrik.
I learned from your videos for three days. I requested a spontaneous breathing trial. You are ready to discharge, but you are not doing any spontaneous breathing trials. My dad is at a PEEP of 5, but he’s at FiO2, ranges from 30 to 40%. They did a spontaneous breathing trial today and he was off it for three hours. It was on CPAP mode, and he became tired.
They will do another spontaneous breathing trial tomorrow, but thanks to your channel and website, intensivecarehotline.com, I learned and hold ICU accountable to continue treating my dad and not hold back treatment.
I also demanded an echo for my dad’s heart or an ultrasound, and the doctor was telling me he’s okay for the past 48 hours, and we did one on November the 10th. I told him I want another ultrasound of the heart before you discharge him. They have been trying to discharge him since the 28th of November.
I’m in the U.S.A. Thank you for the information you share with us.”
Thanks, Rosa, for your feedback and for holding the ICU team accountable. That’s what we are here for. That’s what my videos and my articles are for that you ask the right questions, and you know the drill by now, in terms of ICUs want to send out people as quickly as possible. If for whatever reason your dad is not passing the spontaneous breathing trial, they probably want to do a tracheostomy and then want to send him to LTAC (long-term acute care) as quickly as possible.
One thing that I have been saying over and over again, over the many years of me recording these videos and writing articles for families in intensive care is simply if you have your loved one in intensive care on a ventilator with a breathing tube or an endotracheal tube, you have to ask the ICU team, are they doing everything beyond the shadow of a doubt to get your loved one off that ventilator and the breathing tube to avoid a tracheostomy? That’s the only question really you need to ask.
Now, in order to help you with that specific question, I have written an article and made a video a couple of years ago about, “How to wean a critically ill patient off the ventilator and the breathing tube?” And I put a link below this video in the description so you can actually watch that video or read the article, so you can have almost a step-by-step process and again, you can hold the ICU team accountable.
Now, as far as your comments go with the echo for your dad’s heart, you haven’t shared whether your dad has a heart condition or not. Maybe he does have a heart condition, then they should probably do an echo. If your dad is off inotropes or vasopressors, he may not necessarily need an echo of the heart, but maybe you can write me back in terms of what’s your dad’s heart condition, and then I can answer back here in a video if you like.
Or even better, 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 site for families in intensive care at intensivecaresupport.org. There, you have access to me and my team, 24 hours a day, in a membership area and via email, and we’ll give you advice there about all things intensive care related, 24 hours a day.
If you need a medical record review for your loved one in intensive care or if you suspect medical negligence in or after intensive care, you should contact us as well. We can help you with reviewing medical records. Don’t let anybody tell you, you can’t have access to medical records. The power of attorney has the right, let me repeat that. The power of attorney of a patient in intensive care has the right. It’s not a privilege to have access to the medical records. Don’t let anyone tell you otherwise. If you get stuck, we can help you with access to medical records. We are specialized on patient and family rights and advocacy in intensive care.
Share the video with your friends and families, subscribe to my YouTube channel for regular updates in intensive care, click the like button, click the notification bell for the next video, 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’ll talk to you in a few days.