Deanne: Back From the Brink

Deanne had a history of congestive heart failure and when she became short of breath and felt overwhelmingly fatigued, she was admitted to a short-term acute care hospital. Once hospitalize, Deanne went into acute renal failure and hemodialysis was initiated. Her physicians recommended a transfer to Kindred Hospital Dallas, where she would have access to specialized care.

As Deanne was being transferred to Kindred Hospital, she went into respiratory failure. Our specialized teams, experienced in critical care, went into action. An emergency intubation and IV diuretics were initiated and eventually a PEG tube was placed for nutritional support.

Although her condition was guarded, the ICU staff could see signs of improvement day by day. The therapists knew that lightening her sedation would decrease the amount of time spent on mechanical ventilation and also decrease the risk of Ventilator Acquired Pneumonia.

Soon after her sedation was lightened, there were signs of great improvement. Deanne regained renal function and the hemodialysis was suspended as she remained stable throughout the remainder of the hospital stay.

After eight weeks, Deanne was weaned from the vent. Her tracheostomy was removed and she began tolerating a mechanical soft diet.

At the time of discharge, her physicians felt that Deanne would benefit from transitioning to a less intense level of care at a skilled nursing facility close to her home.

Deanne expressed her appreciation to the team at Kindred Hospital Dallas who developed her care plan, the nursing staff who assisted her, and for the therapists who helped her regain her strength and kept her motivated.