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Waiting for a loved one to recover

It is natural for family and friends of a seriously ill person to ask nursing and medical staff: 'What are their chances?' It is not always possible for doctors and nurses to know what is going to happen.

A very ill patient may improve or deteriorate quickly. Sometimes the health of a patient whose life is at risk can seesaw. In this situation medical staff may refer to a patient's condition as 'critical' or they may talk of a patient's chances of survival as "50/50".

Each patient is different so it is not possible to generalise. The doctors will give you as much information as they can.

As patients in an ICU are often very weak, it is possible for serious complications such as organ failure or infections to develop in addition to their original problems.

If your loved one is in an ICU for a long time, you may find visiting becomes harder. It is common to feel useless at this time. You could pass the time by reading to your loved one, perhaps extracts from a favourite book or a newspaper.

You may wish to ask if you can help care for your loved one, perhaps by combing their hair or washing their face. Many people find it helps to do something positive at such a difficult time.

content

Emergency admission
ICU and what to expect
Visiting an ICU
ICU equipment
staff in ICU
Operations
Drugs in ICU
Practicalities when visiting
Waiting for loved ones recovery
If a patient dies
Transfer of recovering patients
Long-term issues
Sources of help

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