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Intensive care
Intensive care: Patients' experiences
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Reasons for admission :
Emergency admissions
Planned admissions
Experiences in intensive care :
Coming round and regaining consciousness
Sleep, dreams and hallucinations
Intensive care treatments
Physiotherapy
Emotional experiences in ICU
Nursing care in ICU
Death and bereavement
High Dependency Unit (HDUs)
Experiences in the general ward :
The general ward: care and environment
Physical and emotional experiences
Physiotherapy on the ward
Discharge and moving on
Information :
For people admitted to ICU for emergency treatment
Planned admissions
Recovering at home :
Physical recovery
Emotional aspects of recovery
Making sense of what happened
ICU follow-up care
Attitudes to life during and after recovery
Impact on family
Impact on work
Sources of support
Messages to others
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Intensive care: Patients' experiences
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Intensive care
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Intensive care: Patients' experiences
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Aged 71 plus
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Interview 31
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He had no clear memories of being ill in intensive care but enjoyed his stay.
Went into hospital for a knee replacement operation in 2003. Was admitted to intensive care because of organ failure (lungs). Spent 2 weeks in intensive care and 3 weeks in a general ward.
Intensive care
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Intensive care: Patients' experiences
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Aged 41-50
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Interview 29
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She recalled being ill and a vague conversation with medical staff about what was wrong, but wasn't aware that her lungs had collapsed until she came
Had a planned hysterectomy in 2004. Complications led to a second operation. Was admitted to intensive care because of Acute Respiratory Distress Syndrome. Spent 2 weeks in intensive care, 1 day in High Dependence Unit and 1 week in a general ward.
Intensive care
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Intensive care: Patients' experiences
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Aged 31-40
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Interview 14
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She had a planned caesarean but had complications after delivering her healthy baby.
Had a planned caesarean in 2005. Had a complication (placenta accreta) after she'd delivered and had to have a hysterectomy. Following hysterectomy, was in ICU for nearly 2 days, then spent 2 days in her own room in the hospital with her new baby. Discharged herself and has had no problems since.
Intensive care
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Intensive care: Patients' experiences
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Aged 41-50
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Interview 29
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She would have liked to know which hospital she was in and why, and to have this information repeated.
Had a planned hysterectomy in 2004. Complications led to a second operation. Was admitted to intensive care because of Acute Respiratory Distress Syndrome. Spent 2 weeks in intensive care, 1 day in High Dependence Unit and 1 week in a general ward.
Intensive care
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Intensive care: Patients' experiences
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Aged 61-70
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Interview 18
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He remembered waking up in ICU eight days after having a second operation.
Was diagnosed with cancer of the oesophagus in 2004. 2-day stay in ICU was planned, following surgery. Transferred to general ward in private hospital. Had to have a second operation and, because of complications, was admitted to ICU in NHS hospital. Spent 18 days in ICU. Had several more operations. In hospital for 5 weeks.
Intensive care
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Intensive care: Patients' experiences
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Aged 61-70
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Interview 18
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He vaguely remembered hearing about his prospective daughter-in-law's new job.
Was diagnosed with cancer of the oesophagus in 2004. 2-day stay in ICU was planned, following surgery. Transferred to general ward in private hospital. Had to have a second operation and, because of complications, was admitted to ICU in NHS hospital. Spent 18 days in ICU. Had several more operations. In hospital for 5 weeks.
Intensive care
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Intensive care: Patients' experiences
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Aged 41-50
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Interview 29
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She couldn't remember her name, her husband's name or details about her children, job and home (she had a surgical complication).
Had a planned hysterectomy in 2004. Complications led to a second operation. Was admitted to intensive care because of Acute Respiratory Distress Syndrome. Spent 2 weeks in intensive care, 1 day in High Dependence Unit and 1 week in a general ward.
Intensive care
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Intensive care: Patients' experiences
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Aged 61-70
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Interview 27
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He was moved back to HDU on several occasions because of a recurring infection.
Was admitted to intensive care in 2005 because of pancreatitis and septicaemia. Spent 2 weeks in intensive care, 2 weeks in a High Dependency Unit; 6 weeks in a general ward, and 2 weeks in a rehabilitation hospital.
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