Every Deep-Drawn Breath

A Critical Care Doctor on Healing, Recovery, and Transforming Medicine in the ICU

By: Dr. Wes Ely

Narrated by: Grover Gardner, Dr. Wes Ely

“Perhaps one lesson to draw from the pandemic, with help from books like this one, is that the ICU experience can be changed for the better” (The Washington Post) for both patients and their families. You will learn how in this timely, urgent, and compassionate work by a world-renowned critical care doctor.

Over the next ten years, 40 to 60 million people in this country will be admitted to the ICU. Most of these hospitalizations will be sudden, unexpected, and harrowing experiences that can alter patients and their families physically and emotionally, with effects that endure for years.

In this rich blend of science, medical history, profoundly humane patient stories, and personal reflection, Dr. Wes Ely describes his mission to prevent patients from being inadvertently harmed by the technology that is keeping them alive. You will experience the world of critical care through the eyes of a physician who drastically changed his clinical practice to offer person-centered health care, and through cutting-edge research convinced others to do the same.

For decades, ICU survivors left the hospital with disabling symptoms including newly acquired dementia, depression, PTSD, and nerve damage, all now recognized as Post Intensive Care Syndrome, or PICS. Dr. Ely’s groundbreaking investigations advanced the understanding of PICS and introduced crucial changes that reshaped intensive care: minimizing sedation, maximizing mobility, listening to the family, and providing supportive aftercare. Dr. Ely shows that there are ways to bring humanity into the ICU and that “technology plus touch” is the future of health care and is a proven path toward returning ICU patients to the lives they had before their hospital stay. An essential resource for anyone who will be affected by illness—which is all of us—Ely’s “personal, passionate return to the ethical heart of the Hippocratic oath…[offers] meaningful, thought-provoking insight into the world of critical care” (Kirkus Reviews).

PLEASE NOTE: When you purchase this title, the accompanying PDF will be available in your Audible Library along with the audio.

©2021 Dr. Wes Ely. All rights reserved. (P)2021 Simon & Schuster, Inc. All rights reserved.

Relationships

Just when the book became more techs… the doc/ author began telling life outcomes of persons lives who stayed in ICU and his drive to make their lives and the families become better. Very touching that a medical expert thrives on ‘the person’ their faith and life journey.

Well written and educational

It didn’t surprise my family when I told them I was reading a book about ICU. I am fascinated with the practice and research of medicine and I find Dr. Ely’s diligence and passion to improve lives through better practice refreshing and exhilarating. Great story teller!

Essential Learning for Modern Healthcare

Dr Ely shares important information on the distinction between “survival” and “living” after severe illness. Critical care medicine has increased survival rates globally, but survivors live with emotional and physical scars that make it difficult to return to meaningful life. The future of healthcare will involve movement from a focus on mere survival to living.

fabulous information for patients and doctors alik

One of the biggest issues I've ever seen in ctitical care has been miscommunication and misunderstanding. There has always been  a disconnect between what a doctor says and what a patient understands. Even more importantly, the disconnect between what a patient tries to communicate and what the doctor understands.

Allen Alda recognized this problem years ago and began teaching medical people how to talk to non medical people. Dr Ely addresses the other end of the problem in this book and teaches medical people how to listen.

In this book Dr Ely explains the path to better patient care for those who usually can't advocate for themselves. For those providers that want more comprehensive, more successful, patient care, Dr Ely uses this book to provide a jumping off place

More importantly, Dr. Ely writes this book in a way that most people can understand. The medical terms are explained without any sense of arrogance or superiority. A non medicall reader needn't fear being addressed as if they are lessor beings for a lack of medical degree.

Most importantly, these stories give words to all those patients who have always known something was wrong but didn't have the words to make that understood.

As someone who has always cared deeply about the whole person of my paitents I cannot stop being hopeful after reading this book. Dr. Ely proves that medicine is evolving for the better.

Inspiring future medical graduates

As a physician-scientist in training, I appreciated this book so much. I found a lot of inspiration to create a career in which I make improvements in medicine and science like Dr. Ely.

So beautiful & powerful

It completely resonated with the life we have lived over years as critical care clinicians especially past years during pandemic. I wish for everyone to read this book & feel the importance of listening & simple acts of kindness we can & should offer to our patients. I will be getting a kaleidoscope as a daily reminder to me of the beauty that life offers us every day & bring focus to the important tasks and I also will make sure we have some honey in the ICU to bring sweetness to our patients in the most vulnerable time of their life. Thank you Dr. Ely, for your lifelong dedication to a patient centered care. You are a true inspiration

A Gem!

As an ICU physician this book has been truly inspiring. A must read for anyone who has worked in the ICU or has had a loved one in an ICU as a patient.

excellent!

As a critical care nurse for 50 years, I found this book to parallel my own practice and the questions of 'what happens after patients leave the ICU. the book is written concisely giving enough history to understand current issues and trends but written in such a way to be understandable for the lay person. I have long respected Dr Ely's work and appreciated this insight of this book.

Every Deep Drawn Breath

The authentic humanity and honesty are so important in a healthcare setting for me as a patient. I am hopeful this will become the norm making it possible for medical staff and patients to see each other as people first.

Important Changes to Critical Care

Preventing mental disabilities caused by critical care treatment is the goal of the author a critical care doctor. From his first realization that critical care practices leave patients with diminished mental abilities to the implementation of changes in treatment methods. These changes result in less dementia, less loss of IQ, longer life span, less anger and other benefits for patients.