Mrs. W: Driven to Recover

Mrs. W, 61, was admitted to Kindred Hospital St. Louis – St. Anthony’s in January suffering from acute respiratory failure. She required mechanical ventilation 24 hours a day and was very weak.

In spite of her medical complications, Mrs. W displayed the mindset of a winner and progressed very quickly with rehabilitation. Consequently, she also progressed through the Kindred patient-driven weaning protocol and was near her goal of breathing on her own when complications occurred.

Due to her respiratory condition, Mrs. W needed an invasive procedure to drain some fluid from one of her lungs and had to be readmitted to the referring short-term acute care hospital for the procedure. Though her respiratory status was compromised by the readmission, Mrs. W’s physicians at Kindred knew the invasive procedure was necessary to continue her progress. After readmission to Kindred on February 6 Mrs. W never looked back. Neither did the Kindred team.

Over the next weeks, the respiratory team successfully weaned Mrs. W from her ventilator. The rehabilitation team provided physical, occupational and speech therapy to improve her strength, mobility and function.

After four weeks back at Kindred Hospital St. Louis – St. Anthony’s with the support of her husband, close friends, and the Kindred team, Mrs. W discharged home on March 5.

Mrs. W’s husband sent a thank you note to the staff of Kindred St. Louis – St. Anthony’s in April saying, “My wife is doing fine. She gets better each day. Again, thanks for your kindness.”