Life After Near Death: From the Perspective of the Patient and an EMS Family Member

This is the story of a flight nurse who suffered significant complications following orthopedic surgery resulting in a 10 day hospitalization most of it in the ICU. Her family was told she would likely not survive surgery and her husband had to sign an updated advance directive giving the surgeon permission to do CPR in the OR. The family struggled through difficult decisions that a very specific advance directive did not cover. This story will review sepsis presentation, treatment and sequela. She suffered from delirium with hallucinations and significant cognitive deficits. We will review pharmacology, pathophysiology and post ICU follow up. Over 90% of patients with ARDS or SEPSIS who spend at least 4 days in the ICU suffer long term complications. Surviving the initial crisis is only the beginning of the story. Resources for all the unanticipated consequences of a critical illness will be reviewed.