Friday, December 23, 2011

Echo Results


Gavin is looking out of his patient room from the 11 floor (Peds Cardiac Floor) of the new CS Mott Children's Hospital.

Recap
Thursday, Dec. 22 was Gavin's 3rd echo following his conduit dissection back in April 2011.  Periodically, he is brought it to see how the two stents are holding up in his failed conduit.  They are checking for any movement and structure failure of the stents and the pressure in his right ventricle, since the conduit he has goes from his right ventricle to his pulmonary artery ( RV to PA conduit)
Because of the dissection, it caused an increase in pressure, meaning his RV was working EXTREMELY heard to get his blood through a collapsed conduit which put him in Congestive Heart Failure and Liver Failure.

Results
Over all, the stents have not changed and the pressure has increased slightly from 43ish to about 47ish since his last echo back in July.  Granted, Dr. Cotts does not want to see any change, however, it is not large enough for intervention at this time. THANK GOD for that for so many reasons!!! 

He is being brought back in 4 months for another echo and we will go from there. We ask so many questions that just lead to speculation, for example;
What do the pressures have to make you worried? How long is this reenforced conduit going to last before he has to have it replaced? All of these are at Dr. Cotts best estimate and we have to accepted the fact that we will find out when the time comes. There is no for sure answer. He said he doesn't expect an intervention at our next visit, which we hope not, but we never know. He did say however, should something unexpected happen (which this whole situation was unexpected) the HUGE thing is Gavin is now health where back in May 2010 when he was brought in he was a horrible candidate for heart surgery because of his heart and liver failure. That comment still really bothers me, that he was that sick and we were that close to loosing him. Thank God again his surgeon believed in the Cath docs that the stents would work and it would allow his body to heal.  Oh man, thats so stressful to even think about.

We ask that you please pray for God to allow Gavin to grow bigger and stronger so that when it does come time for Gavin's next open heart surgery, he is big enough to place a really nice sized conduit AND that conduit doesn't dissect so it lasts for many years which could allow his 3rd replacement to be performed through the Cath. Lab.