The intensive care department at Imam Al-Hujjah Hospital successfully saved the life of an elderly patient suffering from acute heart failure. Head of the ICU Department Hussein Al-Haj revealed that the patient was in critical condition and he scored 7/15 on the Glasgow coma scale. The man had a high respiratory rate and a high level of carbon dioxide in his blood while the oxygen level was extremely low. The patient’s heart muscle had a pumping ability below 25% (normal is 75%).
Dr. Al-Haj added: The patient was admitted to the ICU and intubated immediately. He was connected to a ventilator as a primary measure to save his life, then we carried out the required laboratory tests and medical examinations. He received the necessary treatment and underwent respiratory physiotherapy. We repositioned the patient several times to avoid bed sores and provided him with the best nutrition. We also monitored his vital signs closely to check on his heart and lung response to treatment.
Dr. Hussein also stated that: “During the three days of monitoring, we noticed an improvement in the patient’s consciousness when the blood gas levels returned to normal. He was also beginning to breathe on his own without the assistance of the ventilator. We monitored the patient for an additional 24 hours to ensure that he no longer needs to be intubated. Later, we sent him to the inpatient ward to continue his treatment.” It’s worth mentioning that Dr. Hashim Zayni (internist) and Dr. Hussein Al-Haj (anesthesiologist/intensivist) supervised the recovery of the elderly man.
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