I spent two hours this morning in Dad’s room. Some of this time I spoke with his nurse; for 5 to 10 minutes I was able to speak with one of his doctors. The situation remains serious. He has a fever, is on dialysis, and has had some heart issues, among other things. Although he will have his gall bladder removed eventually, he is “not a surgical candidate at this time,” meaning he has too many other problem going on.
The mortality rate for those in his condition is 10 percent according to the doctor. That’s on the low end of what I’ve read in the Merck Manual (which says 10-50 percent), but it’s also possible that the Merck Manual information is somewhat dated as the section on morphine use has been refuted according to the CCU nurse. (Dad is presently on morphine in addition to all the other medications.)
Recovery is lengthy. Assuming all goes well, he’ll be in the hospital from 2 to 6 weeks.
I will post more information as I get it.