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Quick Tip for Families in Intensive Care: Why the ICU Might Be Withholding a CT (Computed Tomography) Scan & What to Know If Your Loved One’s in a Coma & Ventilator!

“Why the ICU team might be withholding a CT (Computed tomography) scan and what you need to know if your loved one is in a coma and on a ventilator?”

Hi! My name is Patrik Hutzel from intensivecarehotline.com where we help families of critically ill patients in intensive care to improve their lives instantly so that you can make informed decisions, have peace of mind, control, power and influence, making sure your loved one gets best care and treatment always.

Today, I want to address a question we received from one of our readers, Sarah, and she’s just like you having a loved one critically in in intensive care. So, Sarah writes, “An elderly family member of mine is in a coma in ICU after a brain stroke. He’s in ICU on a ventilator. They did an initial CT scan on arrival, but now the ICU team is saying a repeat CT scan is too dangerous, that moving him could be fatal. They also claimed that even if there’s ongoing bleeding, it wouldn’t change the treatment anyway. What should we do?”

Sarah, this is obviously a critical situation and sadly, not uncommon at all. I’ve worked in critical care nursing in three different countries for over 25 years and I’ve seen it hundreds and hundreds of times.

Let me break this down for you because this is one of those moments where what you don’t know can literally kill your loved one or deprive them of a chance to recover.

Let’s start with the basics. Why was the first CT scan done? When someone has a stroke, especially a suspected brain hemorrhage, which is a brain bleed, any initial CT scan is a standard protocol. It helps to confirm if it’s a bleeding stroke like a hemorrhagic stroke, or a blocked vessel, also known as an ischemic stroke, the size and location of the damage, whether surgical intervention or other therapies are needed. But strokes can unfold very dynamically, bleeding can expand, swelling can worsen, pressure in the skull can rise dangerously. That’s why serial imaging, repeating the CT is often essential to make timely, life-saving decisions.

Now, let’s talk about the ICU’s claim that a CT scan is too dangerous. Here is what I know and hear behind the scenes when ICU teams are saying a CT scan is “too dangerous.” They’re telling you, “We don’t want to move your loved one because it requires too many staff coordination and effort, and we’ve already decided it won’t change our approach anyway.” Let me be blunt. That’s a convenience-based argument, not a patient-centered argument.

Yes, transferring a ventilated critically ill patient to CT carries some risk, but ICU teams routinely move ventilated patients for imaging every single day all around the world when they believe the benefits are worth it. So, you need to look at the real question here, which is why don’t they think it’s worth it? Even if there is ongoing bleeding, it won’t change the care. Really? That’s one of the biggest red flags, and it’s also a myth.

Let me ask you this, if the bleeding has worsened, could that prompt a neurosurgical consult? Could it affect decisions around sedation, anticoagulation, or osmotic therapy? Which means sedation, such as propofol, midazolam, also known as Versed, or Precedex, anticoagulation such as heparin or warfarin, or any other anticoagulation, and osmotic therapy, which could be mannitol for high brain pressures? Could it also impact decisions about prognosis, perceived futility of care, or withdrawal of life support? You bet it could.

By not doing another CT scan, they are potentially denying you information that could save your loved one’s life, or at least give him a chance. When they say it won’t change the treatment anyway, you need to challenge that. You have every right to ask, “Why wouldn’t he change treatment? Are you saying you’re not open to surgical or medical interventions? Are you assuming he won’t survive?”

So, here’s what I recommend you do right now. Insist on a second CT scan. Ask the ICU team to clearly explain in writing, if necessary, why they are refusing. Don’t take vague answers like, “It’s too dangerous.” Ask for specifics; what risk based on what evidence. Request a second opinion, especially from neurology or neurosurgery. Stroke management often involves these specialties. Their opinion definitely matters.

Document everything. Keep a written record of what was said, when, and by whom. Push for a family meeting, ask for a multidisciplinary meeting with the ICU team, neurologist, neurosurgeon, and hospital patient liaison. Make sure your voice is heard, and have professional representation there because that’s what we do here at intensivecarehotline.com. Don’t be bullied into giving up when ICU teams start using language like, “There’s nothing more we can do.” “The scan won’t change anything or moving him could kill him.” That’s usually the first step in palliative care creep, where they slowly try to convince you to withdraw care and treatment.

Let me give you my final thoughts before I conclude this. The burden of proof is on the ICU if they say a CT scan is too dangerous, it’s not on you. You are your loved one’s best advocate. You’re the one who cares most, whether they live or die. You must speak up, ask questions, demand transparency, and get second opinions when needed.

We’ve helped hundreds, if not thousands of families navigate situations like this to one on one consulting and advocacy. If you need help right now, go to intensivecarehotline.com and book your free strategy session there. Don’t wait until it’s too late.

My name is Patrik Hutzel from intensivecarehotline.com, and I have worked in critical care nursing for 25 years in three different countries, where I worked as a nurse unit manager for over 5 years in critical care. I’ve been consulting and advocating for families in intensive care since 2013 here at intensivecarehotline.com. I can very confidently say that we have saved many lives for our clients in ICU. You can verify that by looking at our testimonial section at intensivecarehotline.com and you can verify it on our intensivecarehotline.com podcast section where we have done client interviews.

Because our advice is absolutely life changing, the advice and advocacy that we’re providing is so life changing that, like I said, we have saved many lives, and we’re improving the lives of our clients and our members instantly, so that they can make informed decisions, have peace of mind, control, power and influence, making sure their loved ones get best care and treatment always.

That’s why you can join a growing number of members and clients that we have helped over the years. Once again, to improve their lives instantly, making sure they can make informed decisions, have peace of mind, control, power and influence, making sure their loved ones get the best care and treatment, always.

That’s exactly why I do one on one consulting and advocacy over the phone, Zoom, WhatsApp, whichever medium works best for you. I talk to you and your families directly. I handhold you through this once in a lifetime situation that you can’t afford to get wrong. When I talk to doctors and nurses directly, 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 talk to doctors and nurses directly either one on one or I have you on the phone with them, or I’ll set you up with the right questions to ask.

I also represent you in family meetings with intensive care teams so that you can have clinical advocacy and representation on the family meetings with intensive care teams.

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.

We also have a membership for families of critically ill patients 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 the membership area and via email, and we answer all questions intensive care related. In the membership, you also have exclusive access to 21 videos and 21 e-books that I have personally written and recorded. All of that, once again, will help you to improve your life instantly so that you make informed decisions, have peace of mind, control, power and influence, making sure your loved one gets best care and treatment always.

All of that you get at intensivecarehotline.com. Call us on one of the numbers on the top of our website or simply send us an email to [email protected] with your questions.

If you like my videos, subscribe to 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, what questions and insights you have.

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

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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