Success Stories

One day, Linda became short of breath and unable to breathe normally - ominous signs that indicated she was in the throes of experiencing a pulmonary and cardiac arrest. When the paramedics arrived Linda had to be intubated on site and she was rushed to the nearest community hospital. There, she was also diagnosed with pneumonia and her medical prognosis was very uncertain.

Shockingly, the first doctor to see her recommended the removal of the ventilator, which would have resulted in her death. Fortunately, Linda remained on the ventilator and was transferred to Kindred Hospital, even though her doctor told Kindred clinicians that that allowing her to recover was preventing the inevitable. Fortunately for Linda, the staff at Kindred Hospital were determined to prove him wrong.

At Kindred, Linda received the type of care she needed to begin what was nothing less than a miraculous recovery. She began to regain her strength and made great progress in respiratory and physical therapy. Soon she was able to get in and out of bed and re-learn many of the simple things that she had lost the ability to do.

When Linda came to Kindred she was lifeless, dependent on a ventilator and breathing tube, and unable to move or even remember names. At the time of her discharge, Linda said, "I'm so happy to be strong again so I can be with my family."  Her son added that he was "so impressed with mom's healing… I thank all those who were positive along this difficult journey."

Linda added, "Thank you, Kindred. I hope to never smoke cigarettes again."

All of us who cared for Linda wish her and her family all the best and want to encourage her to remain smoke-free so she can continue to regain her health and enjoy everything that life has to offer!

She was found to have critically low levels of potassium in her blood and was in an altered state due to the imbalance. Her breathing was compromised and she had to be intubated to assist her breathing. Unfortunately, she aspirated after her intubation and this led her to develop aspiration pneumonia and acute respiratory distress syndrome.

She was transferred to the ICU for treatment and observation and, once her condition was able to be stabilized, she came to Kindred Hospital for specialized respiratory and rehab therapy, and to be weaned from the ventilator.

When she arrived at Kindred she was extremely weak and unable to take food by mouth. Paula had to receive her nutrition though a feeding tube in addition to the ventilator support. At first, Paula needed encouragement to start participating in her rehab treatments, but with encouragement from her husband and her care team she began to make rapid progress.

Paula was able to be successfully weaned from the ventilator and, once the tracheostomy tube was removed, she was able to eat on her own again. She progressed to being able to walk with a walker and was able to do everything on her own with very little help. Just before she was discharged from Kindred to continue her recovery at home, Paula shared her thoughts about the ordeal: “The moment you’re ready to quit is usually the moment right before a miracle happens. Don’t give up!”

Paula also wanted to express her gratitude and added: “I want to give my thanks to the entire staff – especially Roberto and Gloria – I couldn’t have done this without them.” All of us at Kindred wish Paula and her family the very best and that she is able to get her health back completely.

She was admitted to Kindred on February 16 for ventilator weaning and management of conditions complicating her hospitalization including diabetes mellitus, hypertension, diverticulitis, deconditioning and a sacral decubitus ulcer.

On February 28, she was placed on the weaning protocol. The speech-language pathologist started her with a Passy Muir valve in-line with the ventilator on March 2.

The next day, she was started on TTAV (trans-tracheal augmented ventilation), per the weaning protocol, so she could speak during her weaning sessions. She progressed steadily and gained strength with the addition of aggressive physical and occupational therapy and speech-language pathology for the next two weeks.

On March 15, Vicenta was weaned from the ventilator. On March 18, she was decannulated and her tracheostomy tube was removed. She was discharged on March 23 to acute rehab with a plan for ultimately going home. By this time, she had made good functional gains in occupational therapy, was able to complete basic activities of daily living, was ambulating 60 feet, and was swallowing pureed foods.

We look forward to a visit from Vicenta and her family in the near future.

Upon admission, Mr. N began immediate treatment not only for acute respiratory failure, but also for a bad case of recurring cellulitis in his lower right leg. He was monitored daily by a primary care physician, a pulmonologist and the wound care team.

In just three weeks, Mr. N was weaned off the vent. By the end of his stay, his required oxygen level was down to 30%.

Mr. N also received IV antibiotic therapy and topical medications as part of his wound care treatment program. Within only 14 days, his painful cellulitis and ulcerations had vastly improved.

With his wounds significantly healed and his new independence from the ventilator, Mr. N began working diligently with Kindred’s rehabilitation staff to get back on his feet.

After just six weeks of medical treatment and physical rehabilitation at Kindred, Mr. N. left breathing on his own and able to walk. Having made huge strides toward recovery at Kindred Hospital, Mr. N was transferred to a skilled nursing facility for continued rehabilitation in the hopes of an eventual return home.

He was immobilized with broken bones, fractured ribs and a punctured lung. “Somehow I was able to wiggle around and get the cell phone out of my pocket,” he said. He called his wife, and within an hour a medical helicopter was taking him to a short-term acute care hospital. He stayed there in the Intensive Care Unit for seven weeks and was then admitted to Kindred Hospital. “Really, by that point he was still in critical condition,” his wife said. “He was totally dependent on a ventilator to breathe. The people at the hospital had done everything they could – we just needed to go somewhere where they had expertise in caring for vent patients.” Almost immediately, the caregivers at Kindred Hospital began rehabilitation therapy and the process of weaning John from the ventilator. “He had been on his back for seven weeks, and gradually they kept having him do a little more at a time,” his wife said. “The walking helped him strengthen his lungs.” “I felt like I was making progress, absolutely,” John said. “I’d heard of Kindred before, but I didn’t really know what they did.” Six weeks later, John was released to home care to fully recover. “By the time we left, he was walking, breathing, swallowing and eating,” his wife said. “And it was the teamwork that was great.” “The care was excellent,” John said. “Everybody knew what they were doing and everybody worked together.” “Just excellent.”