- Joined
- Jul 13, 2005
- Messages
- 720
- Reaction score
- 105
The more I learn about the trillions of diseases and diseases processess, the more I understand why lay people leaving the hospital or with loved ones in the hospital, have no clue whats going on. Some things are are so complex (a 43 yo morbidly obese patient presenting with SIRS-->sepsis .. a MRSA infection of their venous catheter is found leading to severe sepsis...--->bacterial endocarditis.. occlusion of popliteal artery (multiple mechanisms) .. perivalvular abcess that eats away the AV node.. develops complete heart block and a transvenous pacemaker failed to pace his heart and the patient dies. What about ICU lung injuries and insult from ventilation leading to ARDS etc?
I want to know how you all go about discussing complex multiple disease processes with patients or their family members so that they understand? What needs to be said and what isnt all that important to mention (but of course be documented)?
I notice that people dont understand what sepsis is, so they dont understand that it kills. For the aforementioned patient, should one just say that this patients dialysis access became infected and the infection got into his blood stream and caused a lot of problems that led to his death?
I want to know how you all go about discussing complex multiple disease processes with patients or their family members so that they understand? What needs to be said and what isnt all that important to mention (but of course be documented)?
I notice that people dont understand what sepsis is, so they dont understand that it kills. For the aforementioned patient, should one just say that this patients dialysis access became infected and the infection got into his blood stream and caused a lot of problems that led to his death?
