Michael: A Steady Road to Recovery

Michael is a married aerospace executive who contracted H1N1 pneumonia late in 2009. Although he saw his primary care physician soon after he started feeling ill, his condition worsened and he was admitted to a short-term acute care hospital in November 2009.

Michael’s pneumonia progressed to Adult Respiratory Distress Syndrome, and he required mechanical ventilation. He developed complications of prolonged ventilation, including a pneumothorax that necessitated a chest tube placement. He required dialysis for acute renal failure for several weeks.

After a few months at the traditional hospital, Michael’s condition had stabilized, but he required continued high intensity medical care. Michael was transferred to Kindred Hospital Seattle - Northgate for continued care in January 2010.

Upon admission to Kindred, Michael’s oxygen requirements were high and he had two chest tubes in place. He remained in the ICU for four weeks until his last chest tube was removed. It took another two weeks for him to successfully wean from the ventilator.

Throughout his stay, Kindred’s interdisciplinary team of doctors, nurses, specialists and therapists met with Michael and his family weekly to measure his progress and set new goals. The discharge goal was to get Michael strong enough to participate in an acute inpatient rehab program.

That goal was reached, and Michael was discharged to an inpatient rehabilitation center March 3, 2010. His trach tube was out and he was beginning to eat regular meals. His lungs had improved so that his oxygen levels were stable. He was looking forward to wearing clothes again, and he had his first phone conversation with a good friend just days before discharge.

“I couldn’t have gotten where I am without the wonderful care I received at Kindred Hospital,” Michael said. He added that the staff “was loving” in their approach to him.