Status Post

Grace has had quite a day today. Status post is the term used to indicate that someone has now had an operation. Grace is now status post ligation of a ductus arteriosus. Before I fill you in on the details, Deb and I want to thank all the well-wishers who called, e-mailed, commented and texted today. It was so appreciated and helped calm our nerves today to know we had tons of support.

The day started with a bang. Deb arrived to see a gaggle of staff gathered around Grace's bed all wide-eyed like deer in the headlights. Never a good sign. Our little angel had managed to pull her ET (ventilator) tube. It was back in by the time Deb arrived, but it gave her a good scare. Grace seemed none the worse for wear, and was in fact doing a little better. There was a benefit though. The old tube was too small for her since it had been placed a month ago when she was much smaller. This was a great opportunity to place a larger one.

The actual surgery started much later than planned. Anyone who has worked in an OR will find that no surprise. Because Grace is still on the'jet' ventilator, she can't travel to the OR so they brought it to her. A whole team including anesthesiologist, scrub techs and RN's showed up to perform the surgery. They closed the module down and made everyone leave. Everything took a just a couple of hours, although it seemed much longer. According to the surgeon, everything went very well. Specifically, they made a small incision between the ribs towards her back. He then looked in and found the vessel and looped a suture around it and ligated it. She seemed to tolerate it well. They will start to wean her down on the ventilator tonight and maintain her blood pressure. She is likely to have some physiologic adjustments to her new circulatory system. We are optimistic that she will achieve a new equilibrium within the next day or two. It is nice to have one problem checked off the list. Feels as if we are making real progress. More tomorrow.