Mrs K: Back to the Golf Course
An active 67-year-old mother of four, Mrs. K was living a full life surrounded by family and friends. She was a retired business owner, was involved in volunteer work and was very active in church activities. She was also an avid golfer.
Mrs. K began to feel general weakness and abdominal pain. Her children took her to a short-term acute care hospital where she was diagnosed with obstructive jaundice caused by an obstruction of the bile ducts. Mrs. K underwent a pancreatoduodenectomy – also known as a Whipple procedure – which is a major operation involving the pancreas, duodenum and other organs.
Following surgery Mrs. K developed respiratory failure, intraabdominal sepsis, and intra-abdominal hemorrhage. She was placed on a mechanical ventilator and given a feeding tube due to her inability to swallow. Unable to recover fully at the short-term acute care hospital, Mrs. K was transferred to Kindred Hospital Santa Ana for specialized, continued care.
When she arrived at Kindred Hospital Santa Ana, Mrs. K could not breathe or eat on her own. She had several infections and a serious abdominal wound. She was only able to speak short phrases.
With the guidance of the attending physician and team of physician consultants, the interdisciplinary team at Kindred Hospital Santa Ana immediately implemented a treatment plan tailored to Mrs. K’s needs. The plan included respiratory therapy to wean her off the ventilator, wound care, nutritional therapy to ensure adequate nutrition, physical and speech therapy, antibiotic therapy, and round-the-clock nursing care.
Mrs. K showed a positive outlook throughout her recovery. With encouragement and support from the team and family members, she began to show improvement. During her hospitalization at Kindred Hospital Santa Ana, Mrs. K overcame challenges of urinary tract infection, sepsis, shingles, and low blood. She was able to wean off the mechanical ventilator to T-bar trials and eventually had her tracheostomy capped. Her feeding tube was removed and she was able to tolerate a liquid diet, speak normally, and walk with minimal assistance.
No longer requiring high-intensity medical care, Mrs. K was discharged to a skilled nursing home for additional therapy with the goal of returning home.
“I would like to get together with my close friends,” said Mrs. K of her future plans. “It has been a while since we all got together. The last time we saw each other was on the golf course!”
Mrs. K’s children were thankful to all of those involved in their mother’s care and look forward to bringing her home soon.
Kindred Hospital Santa Ana’s success is apparent in stories like this as well as in our quality scores – our patients and families rate our quality of care at 92.8 percent and 98 percent recommend Kindred. In 2010 our hospital also received Quality Respiratory Care Recognition from the American Association for Respiratory Care. Kindred Healthcare has been a Fortune magazine Most Admired Company for two years in a row.