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Quick Tip for Families in Intensive Care: What Needs to Happen for Next Steps to Get My Mother Off the Ventilator in Intensive Care?

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

So today I want to answer another question from one of our readers who says, “What Needs to Happen for My Mom as the Next Step to Get Off the Ventilator?” Well, that’s a great question. And before I answer the question, I need to bring it back to what I’ve been saying for many years now that, the biggest challenge for families in intensive care 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.

This is exactly what’s happening with this particular question, what needs to happen to my mom as the next step to get off the ventilator?

Well, it depends on whether A) your mom has a breathing tube in her mouth or B) she has a tracheostomy. And it’s ventilated via a tracheostomy.

So in the first instance, if your mom has a breathing tube in her mouth, she needs to be weaned off sedation. She needs to come out of an induced coma  and then she can be weaned off the ventilator. And I have made an article in the video about this, “How to Wean a Critically Ill Patient off the Breathing Tube and the Ventilator”. And I will link towards that video and article so you can have a look there.

And the other scenario is, if your mom has a tracheostomy and is ventilated by a tracheostomy, well, then she needs to be off sedation. But the good thing with the tracheostomy is she can be more flexible. What do I mean by that? It’s easier to take a patient off the ventilator via tracheostomy and put them back on it. It’s easier to wean them once they have a tracheostomy, but it’s also not a good sign if she does have a tracheostomy because that also means she has failed weaning off the ventilator in the breathing tube to begin with.

So again, the biggest challenge for families in intensive care is that they don’t know what they don’t know. It is critically important that when you reach out to us that you have as many details as possible. And that you do your research from day one.

Because it’s a very vague question. It’s great that you’re asking it, and I’m here to answer your questions, but it’s a very vague question in the context of intensive care.

I have worked in intensive care for over 20 years in three different countries. I have worked as a nurse unit manager for over five years in intensive care. I have been consulting, advocating for families in intensive care all around the world as part of my intensivecarehotline.com for over 10 years. And we’re also looking after ventilated adults and children with tracheostomies in the community as part of our Intensive Care at Home.

So really, talking about ventilation, whether it’s with breathing tubes or with tracheostomies is bread and butter for me. I’ve been doing it for decades. So, you’ve come to the right place here.

Now, there’s also an article and video that I will link to below this video, “How to Wean a Patient Off the Ventilator and Tracheostomy. It is also a step-by-step guide, so I will link to that as well. So I hope that answers your questions.

And that’s my quick tip for today.

If you have a loved one in intensive care and you need help, go to intensivecarehotline.com. Call us on one of the numbers on the top of our website or send us an email to [email protected].

Also have a look at our membership for families of critically ill patients in intensive care at intensivecarehotline.com. Click on our membership section there or go directly to intensivecaresupport.org. There 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. 

I also offer one on one consulting and advocacy over the phone, via Zoom, via Skype, via WhatsApp, whichever medium works best for you. And I talk to you and your families directly and I advise directly. I also talk to doctors and nurses directly. And I ask all the questions that you haven’t even considered asking, but you must ask when you have a loved one in intensive care so that you can make informed decisions, and have peace of mind, control, power and influence.

I also represent you in family meetings with intensive care teams. I would not go into a family meeting if I were you with intensive care teams without  A)  having a written agenda and B) without having an advocate and clinical representation there. Otherwise, they will walk all over you.

Now, we also offer medical record reviews in real time for patients in intensive care for your loved one in intensive care so that you can have a second opinion in real time. And so that once again, you can make informed decisions, have peace of mind, control, power and influence.

We also offer medical record reviews after intensive care. If you have unanswered questions, if you are simply suspecting medical negligence or if you simply need closure.

Now, 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, share the video with your friends and families 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.

Take care for now.