~The Speth Family~: The Big Day, part 2

Monday, December 14, 2009

The Big Day, part 2

It is 10:15 am and I just received a nice update from the Nurse Practitioner. Ammon is already on the bypass machine (she said it went really quick) and they were able to intubate him without a problem. They are just about to start the repairs on his heart...

11:11 am - They are still working on the aorta. Everything looks good so far.

12:15 am The nurse had a lot to say this time, but this is what I remember... They finished the aortic graft and were almost done with the shunt. They are slowly putting blood volume back into his heart to see how the handles the sutures. They will also start warming him back up very slowly (they made him cold to help his heart stay healthy while they worked). After he is completely off of the bypass, warmed, and have installed all of the IVs, lines, chest tubes and whatever else, they will do an echo to see how it is working. If there aren't complications (bleeding, leaks...) they will put the antibiotic patch on and work on getting him back to the CICU. I guess this is a pretty important hour.

1:05 pm He is off of the bypass machine and is stable! yay! The echo went well and everything looks good so far. There is some bleeding that needs to be watched, but its not totally unexpected and they are giving him transfusions. The next 24-48 hours are pretty critical and things could change at any moment. The surgeon will be out in about an hour to talk to us.

1 comment:

Jake and Stephanie PerrinDecember 14, 2009 at 11:33 AM
Good luck! WE love you and are praying for your family.
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A Future of Peace
"What kind of existence can we hope for? Those who come unto Christ, repent of their sins, and live in faith will reside forever in peace. Think of the worth of this eternal gift. Surrounded by those we love, we will know the meaning of ultimate joy as we progress in knowledge and in happiness. No matter how bleak the chapter of our lives may look today, because of the life and sacrifice of Jesus Christ, we may hope and be assured that the ending of the book of our lives will exceed our grandest expectations. 'Eye hath not seen, nor ear heard, neither have entered into the heart of man, the things which God hath prepared for them that love him' (1 Corinthians 2:9)."
~Dieter F. Uchtdorf~