04/20/2026
Alisha went to a hospital with nausea and vomiting. Sepsis concerns arose due to an ischemic esophagus, a rare, life-threatening condition where the esophagus suffers from severely reduced blood flow. Her condition deteriorated due to acute respiratory failure and severe pneumonia. She required intubation and mechanical ventilation, a vasopressive drip to maintain her blood pressure, and IV antibiotics to
treat the pneumonia.
Alisha also suffered an acute kidney injury that progressed to needing dialysis, and developed necrotizing pancreatitis. She eventually had a tracheostomy tube placed. Once she was stabilized in the ICU, she was transferred to Kindred Hospital St. Louis South for further care. Once at Kindred, Alisha made great progress and was weaned off the vent in four days. She continued to progress with her breathing and began talking again with a speaking valve. She was able to be weaned completely off oxygen, and her trach tube was capped, which allowed her to breathe through her own airways for the first time since she was admitted to the hospital. After just 17 days, she had her trach removed permanently.
Alisha was discharged and transferred to skilled nursing facility for continued recovery, and she looking forward to continued improvement in her overall health and well-being.
To read more patient stories and to learn more about our care, visit https://www.kindredhospitals.com/locations/missouri/st-louis-south
