Q&A: Dad in ICU With Pancreatitis Induced ARDS?
Question by bl0ndesrock10: Dad in ICU with Pancreatitis induced ARDS?
If someone is able to help with these questions I would be very grateful. The doctors are of some help, but very little. I am just looking for answers as to why this is happening to my dad.
My dad was admitted to the hospital Saturday night with acute Pancreatitis. By Tuesday morning he had become extremely disoriented and confused- didn’t understand where he was. He bagan pulling out his IV’s and becoming very agitated. He was on Dilluadid and Adivant to keep him comfortable.
Tuesday morning he was transferred to the ICU because the nurse noticed him struggling while breathing. The doctor’s had to put him in restraints so that he would not pull out the new cathader under his collar bone administering his drip.
The doctors are now concerned my dad has ARDS, or Pneumonia. I realize this is a test by exclusion but they seem more than convinced based on his extrememely low oxygen level of 50% that he does in fact have ARDS. He is on a respirator right now and heavily sedated so that he will not hurt himself becoming agitated while the respirator is in.
My questions are, how does Pancreatitis actually induce ARDS development? And can his oxygen level possibly indicate his improvement with the ARDS and possibly indicate survival upon its improvement? I have looked up ARDS for the past day and feel I know a lot about the disease but there are some questions that the internet can’t answer, and that the doctor doesn’t have time to answer.
Any help is appreciated. This disease is life threatening with a so-so survival rate.
Also my dad is a 63 year old smoker. Smokes about half a pack a day and drinks about two drinks per night (despite the doctor’s implication that he is an alcoholic- definintely had to read him the riot act on that one). After deciding it probably wasn’t JUST the alcohol that could have cause these “withdrawal” symptoms of disorientation and confusion they turned to Benzodiazipine withdrawals since my dad took 1-2mg of xanax each night before bed. Just trying to give some background information if possible.
Before anyone says it- when my father gets out of the hospital he will no longer drink or smoke. That is more than for sure.
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