The Hatboro Police Officer Who Had Heart Attack From Bee Sting Remains In A Coma

HATBORO, PA — The borough police officer who has been hospitalized since suffering cardiac arrest brought on by a severe allergic reaction to a bee sting last month is in a coma, but doctors have taken him off of sedation medications for the first time since he was admitted to the hospital on Oct. 14.

Officer Ryan Allen, the Hatboro Police Department's K9 Unit handler, is continuing to make small improvements, his wife, Whitney Allen, posted in a Facebook status update on Tuesday, but he still has a long road ahead of him toward recovery.

Whitney Allen said that on Monday a team of doctors had some small concerns that her husband's brain had more swelling but that was ultimately ruled out during an imaging scan, which actually ended up showing a decrease in brain swelling.

She said doctors performed a tracheostomy and peg tube placement as an alternative to having several tubes placed down his throat to facilitate the ventilator and nutrition.

"Those procedures were uncomplicated and we can now see his face which has been really nice," Whitney Allen posted.

Ryan Allen continues to battle pneumonia, but he is still able to initiate his own breathing, and doctors were going to attempt to take him off of the ventilator for the first time on Wednesday to see if he would be able to breathe on his own, Whitney Allen stated.

"Ryan is currently off of all sedative medication and is definitely more responsive ... but he is still in a coma," Whitney Allen posted. "We hope and pray that he will wake up on his own soon."

Whitney Allen said she has already consulted with a physical therapy team who will follow her husband's care and treatment until he is able to be transferred to a rehabilitation facility, which would be the next goal in his recovery process.

Whitney Allen thanked the community for "thoughts, prayers, and sweet gestures."

Ryan Allen was rushed to the hospital after a bee sting caused him develop anaphylactic shock, which eventually caused cardiac arrest. He was initially taken to a local hospital but soon transferred to Penn Presbyterian Medial Center in Philadelphia, where he remains today.

Ryan Allen is said to be a beloved member of the Hatboro Police Department who helped to start the department's K9 unit.

The Allen's live in Doylestown, Bucks County. They have one young child, and one on the way.