What is an induced coma and why is my critically ill loved one in an induced coma

Hi, it’s Patrik Hutzel from INTENSIVECAREHOTLINE.COM , where we INSTANTLY improve the lives of Families of critically ill Patients in Intensive Care, so that you can make informed decisions, get PEACE OF MIND, real power, real control and so that you can influence decision making FAST, even if you’re not a doctor or a nurse in Intensive Care!

In this week’s episode of “YOUR QUESTIONS ANSWERED” I want to explain

WHAT IS AN INDUCED COMA AND WHY IS MY CRITICALLY ILL LOVED ONE IN AN INDUCED COMA?

Many visitors to our intensivecarehotline.com website want to know about what an induced coma exactly is and why their critically ill loved one is in an induced coma!

An induced coma is generally required if your critically ill loved one

• Requires mechanical ventilation with a breathing tube, because otherwise your loved one couldn’t tolerate the breathing tube in their throat and an effective ventilation therapy would be nearly impossible to achieve. Mechanical ventilation is normally initiated if your loved one has had major surgery, developed respiratory failure or developed major heart problems, such as a heart attack. The list could go on, but basically any condition where major organs such as the heart, the lungs or the brain stop working properly require mechanical ventilation with an induced coma

• Requires a comatose state to be able to minimize vital body functions such as brain function and brain activity, especially if your loved one sustained a severe brain or head injury with increased brain pressures that need to be minimized, in order to minimize potential and irreversible damage to the brain

It can be quite overwhelming, frightening and scary for Family members of critically ill Patients in Intensive Care to see their loved one in an induced coma. They therefore normally have numerous questions running through their mind, some of the most common ones I’d like to answer here:

1) Can my loved one hear me while in an induced coma?

Generally, most critically ill Patients in Intensive Care don’t remember much, if anything, about their stay in Intensive Care. Having said that, many critically ill Patients report that after their stay in Intensive Care they don’t remember any details, but they do remember that Family members were talking to them, holding their hands and so forth. I therefore strongly encourage you to talk to your critically ill loved one and also to touch them, hold their hand, even if they appear to be totally unconscious!

2) Is my loved one in pain while in an induced coma?

Generally speaking, an induced coma serves the purpose of having a critically ill Patient pain free and especially if your critically ill loved one has had major surgery, Pancreatitis, sustained a multi- trauma or is undergoing other invasive treatment such as ECMO or Intra-aortic balloon pump, an induced coma establishes comfort and generally pain is managed well and efficiently during the induced coma. Some of the drugs given in an induced coma are Morphine or Fentanyl and they are both very strong and potent pain killers(opiates) that usually take care of your loved one’s pain

The 5 Mistakes you are unconsciously making if your critically ill loved one is in an induced coma and is not “waking up”!

The 10 answers to the 10 most frequently asked questions when your loved one isn’t “waking up “ after an induced coma!

3) When will my loved one wake up from the induced coma?

Again, generally speaking, the induced coma is a temporary state, from which your critically ill loved one should get out of, as soon as his or her condition allows! After vital body functions have been regained, such as a controlled brain pressure in severe head or brain injuries or after a stroke, or after multi-trauma or after major surgery, your critically ill loved one is being brought out of the induced coma, by reducing the sedation(drugs) that your loved one is getting. This is often a gradual process and your critically ill loved one is most likely not waking up with a bang! It might take a few hours and sometimes a few days until your loved one is waking up

4) What if my critically ill loved one isn’t waking up from the induced coma?

After sedation and the drugs that your critically ill loved one is getting have been reduced and switched off and your loved one still isn’t waking up, there could be a number of reasons for it. For example, if your loved one has been in an induced coma for many days or many weeks, it might take a while until all of the drugs have been ‘washed out’ of your loved one’s body system and therefore waking up might be delayed. Furthermore, if your loved one sustained a severe head or brain injury or a stroke or had a cardiac arrest with lack of oxygen to the brain, there may also be a delay in coming out of the induced coma and waking up. If this is the case you mustn’t give up and you need to give it time, irrespective of what the Intensive Care team is telling you, because time is often the ultimate healer.

How can you become the best advocate for your critically ill loved one, make informed decisions, get PEACE OF MIND, control, power and influence quickly, whilst your loved one is critically ill in Intensive Care?

You get to that all important feeling of making informed decisions, get PEACE OF MIND, CONTROL, POWER AND INFLUENCE when you download your FREE “INSTANT IMPACT” report NOW by entering your email below!

In Your FREE “INSTANT IMPACT” report you’ll learn quickly how to make informed decisions, get PEACE OF MIND, real power and real control and how you can influence decision making fast, whilst your loved one is critically ill in Intensive Care! Your FREE “INSTANT IMPACT” Report gives you in-depth insight that you must know whilst your loved one is critically ill or is even dying in Intensive Care! Sign up and download your FREE “INSTANT IMPACT” REPORT now by entering your email below!

In your FREE “INSTANT IMPACT” REPORT you’ll learn how to speak the “secret” Intensive Care language so that the doctors and the nurses know straight away that you are an insider and that you know and understand what’s really happening in Intensive Care!

In your FREE report you’ll also discover

How to ask the doctors and the nurses the right questions
Discover the many competing interests in Intensive Care and how your critically ill loved one’s treatment may depend on those competing interests
How to eliminate fear, frustration, stress, struggle and vulnerability even if your loved one is dying
5 mind blowing tips& strategies helping you to get on the right path to making informed decisions, get PEACE OF MIND, control, power and influence in your situation
You’ll get real world examples that you can easily adapt to your and your critically ill loved one’s situation
How to stop being intimidated by the Intensive Care team and how you will be seen as equals
You’ll get crucial ‘behind the scenes’ insight so that you know and understand what is really happening in Intensive Care
How you need to manage doctors and nurses in Intensive Care(it’s not what you think)

Thank you for tuning into this week’s BLOG and I’ll see you again in another update next week!

Make sure you also check out our “YOUR QUESTIONS ANSWERED” section where I answer your questions or send me an email to [email protected] with your questions!

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Also check out our Ebook section where you get more Ebooks, Videos and Audio recordings and where you can also get 1:1 counselling with me via Skype or over the phone and via email by clicking on the email and phone counselling tabs on the top of the website!

This is Patrik Hutzel from INTENSIVECAREHOTLINE.COM and I’ll see you again next week with another update!

Sincerely,
your Friend

Patrik Hutzel