Surgery update #4

Sorry for the omitted updates. Elliott is doing fine. We have been waiting to find out about the viability of his right ventricle. He is currently on the heart and lung bypass machine. Dr. M has completed the reconstruction of the aorta and closing the VSD. Dr.M was inspecting the right ventricle (rv) to determine howl to proceed. If the rv is too small and he continues with the switch to correct TGA, then Elliott would be a very very sick baby, and invaders switch is completed, it cannot be undone. If he decided the rv was too small, he would then just band the pulmonary artery to increase the pressure in the lungs and decrease blood flow to the lungs in order to improve flow to the head and body, thus improving profusion in organs- thus the procedure would be finished much sooner than anticipated and they would allow Elliott time to develop and grow and reassess rv viability in the future. If he decided the rv was viable as a pumping chamber and could handle the workload of the pulmonary artery, he would continue with the arterial switch procedure- so the arterial switch procedure will likely still be in progress during next update in an hour and a half.

He is now beginning the arterial switch procedure. This means that, in Dr. M's best judgement, Elliott's rv is a viable point chamber. This is a single fix- not a staged surgical intervention, as we were preparing for previously when we thought he solely had problems with his rv. He may need surgery later in life and will always see a cardiologist, but this is good news.

Elliott is by no means out of the woods, as there are likely a minimum of three more hours in the OR for Dr. M and then there is recovery (weening from the ventilator- aprox. 24-36 hours post op, healing of incision and sternum, making it out of the unit and hospital without infection, etc).

Thank you for your thoughts and prayers, as always. I know that is what brought this miracle of a functional right ventricle. Much love.


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