Mihail Mededinti

Mihail Mededinti arrived at Mercy San Juan in early July. At age 57, Mihail suffered from hypertension and acute hypoxic respiratory failure. His physicians were also suspicious that he had COVID-19. His deteriorating respiratory condition required ventilator support. After about a month in the ICU, he experienced problems with ventilator weaning.

Mihail came to Vibra Hospital of Sacramento for continued care and to wean off ventilator support. He had a lot of help from the interdisciplinary team. They referred to his care level as “all hands on deck.” Because he was still dependent on the ventilator, Mihail needed maximum assistance even sitting at the edge of his bed.

His condition required an NG tube with a strict feeding schedule. As his respiratory status improved, speech therapy started him on ice chips, one at a time. He then advanced to clear liquids in a little over a week. Shortly after that, he moved to full liquids. While on full liquids, he accidentally pulled out his NG tube. Because he seemed motivated to eat, they decided a replacement tube wasn’t necessary. To supplement nutrition and calories, Mihail drank shakes in addition to full liquids. He made tremendous progress from there and advanced to ground textures and then to more regular textures.

Although Mihail felt scared of change and regression, he pushed through each physical therapy session. He wanted to show the staff that he was ready to get back to better. The longer he was at Vibra, the more dedicated he became, determined to meet his recovery goals.

As he got closer to discharging, Mihail made huge strides and required less and less help. The week he went home, Mihail was completely independent. He performed his transfers with only supervision and walked 300+ feet on his own. His case management team was able to get him home upon discharge. Home health designed a care plan around his needs so he could continue his recovery.