Mr. Holmes: From Pain to Progress

Mr. Holmes, 64, is a retired police officer who was admitted in September to a short-term acute care hospital with complaints of four days of pleuritic pain on his right side. Mr. Holmes was found to have severe pneumonia with tachypnea, abnormally rapid breathing, and hypoxia, a pathological condition in which the body is deprived of adequate oxygen supply.

Mr. Holmes required oral intubation and mechanical ventilation and subsequent tracheostomy for airway support. With a medical history including a renal transplant in 2000, Mr. Holmes also went into acute renal failure during hospitalization and required hemodialysis.

At the end of his stay at the traditional hospital, Mr. Holmes required extended recovery time and was transferred to Kindred Hospital Bay Area – Tampa for continued care on October 22.

Upon evaluation by the Kindred interdisciplinary team Mr. Holmes was on trach collar at 35% FIO2, hemodialysis 3 times per week, was unable to eat an oral diet, receiving Dextrose 5 ml via IV initially and having a history of Diabetes mellitus. He was using a Passy-Muir Valve for communication with poor tolerance for use, needed moderate assistance for bed mobility, moderate assistance for transfers, was unable to walk and required maximum assistance for activities of daily living and total assistance for bathing.

During his stay at Kindred Hospital Bay Area – Tampa, Mr. Holmes struggled with adequate nutrition leading to low blood sugars and discussion of permanent PEG placement. However, through the tireless efforts of the Kindred interdisciplinary team of doctors, nurses, specialists and therapists, Mr. Holmes was discharged November 11 after 20 days.

Upon discharge he was on a 100% oral diet of soft foods with thin liquids, had been successfully decannulated no longer requiring an artificial airway support, no longer required hemodialysis with the stabilization of lab values and renal function, needed supervision for transfers and mobility in the room, was ambulating more than 200 feet with a rolling walker and contact guard assistance, and required only minimal assistance for bathing and set up for activities of daily living.

Mr. Holmes was successfully able to discharge to a skilled nursing facility close to home and his loving family.

Thank you, Holmes family, for allowing us to serve you.

Kindred Hospital Bay Area – Tampa’s success is apparent in stories like this as well as in our quality scores – our patients and families rate our quality of care at 97.8 percent and over 99 percent would recommend Kindred. Kindred Hospital Bay Area – Tampa is part of a network of three Kindred hospitals in Central Florida, including Kindred Hospital Bay Area – St. Petersburg and Kindred Hospital Central Tampa.