The following day, after a gradual rewarming from therapeutic hypothermia, Ryan is admitted to the hospital as an inpatient. Ryan is unconscious for five days and remains under care for an additional five days after awakening.
While in the hospital, Ryan is monitored for any signs of brain damage and cardiac arrhythmia. Ryan has suffered short-term memory loss; he has no recollection of the last five days or the week prior to his cardiac arrest. He is also placed on a daily medication, Toprol-XL. The day after he awakes from the drug-induced coma, he begins acute care physical therapy including cardiac rehabilitation. Each session lasts an hour and leaves him physically and mentally exhausted. Ryan wonders if he has blown his chances for a scholarship or, even worse, if he will ever be able to play basketball again.
Additional information is added to Ryan’s inpatient chart.
After leaving the hospital, Ryan will move to a short-term care facility to continue his recovery. At this time, it is unclear what the long-term physical or mental effects of the cardiac event will be on Ryan. However, Ryan knows that for the rest of his life he will need to be aware of the chance of recurring cardiac events that could lead to heart failure. He will need to be seen regularly by a physician and practice self-care to lessen the stress in his life and improve his mental health. Self-care is different for everyone but may include activities such as: deep breathing, spending time with friends, exercising, journaling, playing games, painting and listening to music.