When Eunice arrived at Solara, she required a ventilator as a "total care patient" being dependent on others for all activities. After working with her interdisciplinary care team, she was able to discharge to an Acute Inpatient Rehabilitation Facility. 

A Patient Success Story from Solara Specialty Hospital Harlingen

Eunice, a mother of seven who lives in Iowa, worked as a CNA in a group home setting and loved helping others in their daily lives. 

Her life was disrupted after Eunice traveled to Mexico to undergo a cosmetic procedure and liposuction surgery in which she was intubated and under general anesthesia. Eunice developed a low heart rate and low blood pressure. She was eventually extubated approximately three hours after the surgery but became unresponsive. Eunice had to be reintubated and was transported by EMS to a hospital on the U.S. side of the border. 

At the hospital, it was determined Eunice had suffered an anoxic brain injury, meaning her brain had been deprived of oxygen, with a Glasgow Coma Score of 3 (the lowest rating). She remained unresponsive, was placed on a ventilator, and eventually required a tracheostomy and a PEG feeding tube. Additional tests indicated a lung infection. Her prognosis was poor.

Eunice was transferred to Solara Specialty Hospitals Harlingen on a ventilator and as a “total care patient” who was dependent on others for all activities. She was also extremely anxious and agitated.

Solara Harlingen’s respiratory therapy team worked on weaning her from the ventilator, eventually liberating her from the vent and keeping her lungs clean via suctioning.

After regaining the ability to stand on the edge of the bed with minimal assistance for 10 seconds, she began undergoing physical therapy. On her last day of PT, she was able to take 16 steps with assistance. 

Eunice’s eye contact was minimal upon admission but increased during her stay at Solara, and she began using a speaking valve continuously, including giving a very purposeful “No” response during a PT session. Eunice was transferred to an acute inpatient rehabilitation facility to continue her recovery.

During discharge planning, Solara’s case management team worked closely with Eunice’s daughters in trying to get her to a facility closer to home. The case management team worked diligently, reaching out to many neuro facilities. They kept getting denials. Their hard work and persistence finally paid off when they attained a facility that would accept Eunice to continue with the right treatment plan for her.

Learn more about: Brain Injury & Stroke Care