Last summer, the then-765-pound man was admitted to an Ogden hospital when his blood sugar levels crashed, his kidneys stopped functioning properly and he developed a blood clot in his lung.

Montague's prognosis was bleak. Doctors told his wife he probably wouldn't survive.

That was before he was transferred to Promise Hospital of Salt Lake, a long-term acute care facility inside Salt Lake Regional Hospital. It treats some of the region's most medically complex patients.

"I'm working on getting a little bit stronger every day and doing a little bit better every day," he said. "These people basically saved my life."

Patients who have respiratory complications such as pneumonia, or have had a tracheostomy, come here. So do those who have serious skin conditions, infections and neurological diagnoses and need round-the-clock care.

One of three such long-term hospitals in the state - the others are in Orem and Bountiful - Promise this spring opened a nine-bed high-observation unit. A step down from an intensive care unit, it handles seriously ill patients who need care over a longer period of time - anywhere from 25 to 45 days.

It offers patients daily talks with physicians, with laboratory, radiology and respiratory services, plus an on-site pharmacy. The unit is small - occupying leased space within Salt Lake Regional Hospital - which allows for a quicker response by physicians and staff, said Chuck Smith, Promise Hospital's assistant chief financial officer.

Hospitals around the region benefit from long-term facilities too, Smith said, because they free up bed space for short-term patients and minimize financial losses.

After staying in the high-observation unit, many patients move to the hospital's 31-bed medical-surgical unit, located one floor above, where patients like Montague are continuing their care.

The 53-year-old, who lost much of his muscle while hospitalized in Ogden, couldn't roll over or sit up on his own when he was admitted to Promise Hospital on Sept. 10, he said. He was on a ventilator and fed through a tube.

In less three months, however, Montague has made strides: After being bed-bound for eight years, he has shed 225 pounds and is moving with the help of physical therapy and a walker. The first day he stood on his feet, staff there cheered.

"I have a lot of hope now that I didn't before," he said.

lrosetta@sltrib.com