What can prevent an 81 yr old woman's heart from stopping after 2 days in cardiac ICU? My mom died from this Dec. 18th. Appreciate any info?

Nordy, Sometimes you just can't know. 81 is a good long life. Thank goodness you had her that long. I lost my dad when he was just 41 to a stroke - I was just 18 mos old. We don't realize what treasures we have until they are gone.

A lot of people are in your same situation when their loved one is put on hospice. They are not expecting them to actually die in 6 months, and are sure something had to have been done improperly. The fact is, we are more likely to die suddenly the older we get. I heard Dr. Laura on the radio talking about her late husband who was fidgety in bed one night and she was tired of being bothered so she told him to get up and get some water. He walked down the hall and his heart stopped! He hit the floor and that was enough of a shock to cause it to start back up, but he was never well again I think. Sudden death does happen, but we just don't hear about it much because there's nothing to indicate that it would occur.

I'm truly sorry for your loss. You had one of the really awesome moms.

No, hon. It almost certainly could not have been diagnosed earlier. I spent my last years nursing in cardiac. When we get old our heart is a weakened pump. It is old. Just look at it that way. The honest truth is that even a young heart can stop on a dime. There is an electrical system that drives the heart in a sense. And the heart can trip into a deadly arrhythmia called "ventricular fibrillation" in which the ventricles, instead of pumping, begin to fibrillate and shake. It is very difficult to save an elderly person. CPR often simply cracks the ribs; you can feel it, you can literally HEAR it when you attempt CPR on the fragile chest of an elder. They cannot recover easily. The monitors are there to tell when there is trouble. A drop in blood pressure can precipitate problems, sending the whole system into a crazy-drive. If an autopsy is done they may find a clot in heart or major vessel. They may find nothing but a weak old heart and tell you "heart failure". I am not certain it is worth knowing.
It is disturbing to think things are going well, and then BOOM. Mom got to the hospital and you were hoping she was getting better. And were shocked when this happened. I hope her life was long and good, and your memories will sustain you until time can heal you, leaving you with only the good memories. She was in the ICU. She was in the best place to get the best chance. She just couldn't make it. I am so sorry. No one could have predicted it for you.

My grandmother dropped dead at 83. Her heart literally stopped right after she sat down in the dining room of her AL. No it couldn’t have been diagnosed or predicted. She was under the regular care of doctors (life long heart problems). I’m so sorry for your loss.

I am sorry for your loss. As others have stated there is no way to Dx this. Hearts get old as the rest of the body.

I knew a guy who was jogging in the park and just drop dead. He was 45 yrs old. His heart just stopped. He had a weak heart. My point is, sometimes things just happen.

I am so sorry that this happen to you.

Hugs!!!

Nord,
Sorry for your loss.

Thank you so much for all of your comments! You have helped put my mind at ease. God bless you in the New Year!