The Other Side of Resuscitation. A Story of How One Doctor Brought Humanity to the Intensive Care Unit

Can saving lives cause harm? Resuscitation doctor Wes Ely is convinced it can.

Leaving the intensive care unit when it seemed the worst was over, his patients faced the consequences of aggressive treatment and eventually realized that their lives were no longer what they were before. Approximately one in five survivors in the intensive care unit developed PTSD, and one in three experienced depression and anxiety.

Dr. Ely decided to go against the system and proposed important innovations that changed the detrimental treatment in resuscitation: he minimized sedation, ensured maximum mobility for patients, and provided supportive postoperative care. 

This is a story of how one doctor brought humanity to the intensive care unit and helped several thousand patients regain the lives they had outside the hospital walls.