Success Stories

Unable to recover completely in the short-term setting, Arthur was transferred to a long-term acute care hospital, where he was also unable to be weaned. From there, he transferred to Kindred Hospital Central Tampa for ventilator weaning. Upon admission to Kindred on January 19, 2012, Arthur was evaluated by our interdisciplinary team and a treatment plan was developed tailored to his complex medical needs. Our most important goal was to wean him from his ventilator so that he could once again breathe on his own. Arthur arrived at Kindred Hospital unable to talk because of his tracheostomy, but was able to communicate very well by writing. He wrote that he wanted to wean from the ventilator and return home “on his feet,” but his endurance was poor. Arthur was able to stand only with contact guard by two people and with the use of a rolling walker. He was unable to swallow and had a PEG. He also had a sacral pressure ulcer that complicated his rehabilitation. Arthur’s family wanted him home as well and considered that a skilled nursing facility might be the most realistic discharge option since he was so debilitated. But the Kindred respiratory, nursing and rehabilitation staff rose to the challenge of optimizing Arthur’s recovery so that he could bypass a nursing center and return directly home. A former construction worker, Arthur was no stranger to hard physical labor, a fact which paid off during his rehabilitation. Arthur’s determined effort in conjunction with our talented and dedicated staff resulted in immense progress during his time at Kindred. On March 13, Arthur discharged home “on his feet.” He had been completely weaned from his ventilator and was using a Passy-Muir valve to speak. He was able to walk 210 feet with the use of a rolling walker with several rest periods. He was independent with many grooming activities, was able to eat again, and was on a mechanical soft diet with supplementation. His pressure ulcer was improving.

On December 23 Bradley transferred to Kindred Hospital Central Tampa for continued care including ventilator weaning and rehabilitation. Bradley was evaluated by our interdisciplinary team of physicians, nurses, therapists and specialists. He was in acute respiratory failure, completely dependent on a ventilator. Our team of respiratory therapists began their efforts to wean Bradley and get him once again breathing independently. During his slow, steady progress on his ventilator wean schedule, Bradley was cleared by his doctor to begin physical therapy. Next, the team of occupational and speech therapists were able to help Bradley regain his grooming skills, memory, speech and swallowing strength. Three weeks after coming to Kindred Hospital Central Tampa, Bradley was walking the halls with our physical therapists. He was able to telephone his wife Jeannine and talk with her. He successfully passed his swallow test and was able to eat “real food.” On January 25, Bradley had progressed to the point that he no longer required high-intensity medical care. He transferred to a rehabilitation center near his home to complete his physical therapy. He looks forward to the day when he and Cody, his beloved border collie, can again enjoy the great outdoors together.

During her four-week stay at Kindred Hospital, she was monitored daily by a primary care physician for wound healing and aggressively treated by her plastic surgeon to close the open area on her left hand. An evaluation by the rehabilitation department was ordered to begin her discharge planning early in her stay to assure that she would be able to return directly to her home. When she began physical therapy, she was very unsteady on her feet. She required assistance from the therapist to stand and ambulate 15 feet. Although limited by the wound on her left hand and her decreased ability to use an armrest, she was able to stand with contact guard by the end of her stay. She increased her ambulation to over 1600 feet and was able to go up and down 10 steps without any assistance. Emily also received occupational therapy, including edema control, contracture prevention, splinting, range of motion and strengthening/conditioning. Emily was discharged to home with assistance from her family. Both the ischial and sacral stage one areas were completely healed and the debrided area on the left hand was closed with a flap repair, requiring application of topical creams and follow up with the plastic surgeon after the patient’s stay at Kindred. An intensive rehabilitation program enabled Emily to be safely discharged directly to home and avoid an additional transfer to another level of care. She was able to perform her daily activities, improving her ability to function at home. The family was educated by the wound care nurse regarding prescribed wound care and oral medication for pain management. They were very grateful for the successful outcome for their loved one.

Upon admission to Kindred Hospital on October 28, Maria was evaluated by our interdisciplinary team of physicians, nurses, therapists and specialists and a treatment plan was developed for her complex medical needs. Initially, Maria remained unresponsive and required the ventilator to support her lungs. Doctors knew that her neurological status and the condition of her heart presented great barriers to her recovery. But the Kindred respiratory, nursing and rehabilitation teams were optimistic and ready to face Maria’s challenges with her. Slowly the staff began to see Maria respond. She was gradually weaned off the ventilator under the guidance and encouragement of her pulmonologist and our team of respiratory therapists. As the New Year began, Maria’s condition improved slowly. The rehabilitation team was then able to step in and get to work. Three weeks into the New Year, Maria’s tracheostomy tube was removed. She started making verbal and memory strides with our speech therapists. She passed her swallow test and was thrilled to be able to eat again. Occupational therapy helped Maria begin to regain her ability to do her own grooming and dressing. Physical therapy allowed Maria to be able to sit at the edge of her bed and regain strength in small, positive steps. No longer requiring high-intensity medical care, Maria discharged to a skilled nursing center on January 31, where she plans to continue her recovery through rehabilitation.