My dad had triple bypass on 9/12...he came out of it fine the day after, alert, talking, etc.... Two days later he became agitated and would not keep the oxygen on...the doctor told my mom that his weekend 2 martini's were causing withdrawal symptoms so they had to sedate him and incubate him on the ventilator. He stayed that way for 5 days, developed pneumonia, that resolved but he continued being agitated. Mind you my dad works full time 40 hours a week in a bank, has had NO mental decline, very sharp...the gin he drank was maybe a couple of ounces after dinner on a Friday and Saturday, he is not an alcoholic as far as going to bars, it was his reward to himself for still being here and still working. They tried to take him off the ventilator but had difficulty, reincubated him for another 5 days, he has been sedated for the most part of 4 weeks. His neurologcal tests are normal, although no CT scan. Now he is out of ICU and in a rehab hospital to wean him off the vent. He now has a trachea tube but he tried to pull it out three times so more sedation this past week and the new doctor is trying respirol to see if they can calm him down since the Ativan doesn't do much. His heart is strong, the cardiolgist said the muscle was very strong but he had severe blockages. He does pushups everyday, he is sharp and now I have to ask can the respirol bring him out of the fog?? Has he slid past bringing him back mentally, he has answered commands from nurses and has been on respirol two days now but the pulomonary doc says he worrries about mental status??? Can this drug work after 4 weeks of sedation, ativan and morphine. He was never hospitalized before...is there hope?:(
Amy