Mid-op update

Muriel is now off the bypass machine and being measured to see how the effectiveness of this very quick operation (we were told the actual surgery itself would only be ten minutes long).  If all is well they will close up and she will be off to recovery.  If not they will perform the fenestration I mentioned earlier.  If she has it her oxygen saturation level will be slightly lower for a time (though still far higher than when we arrived two weeks ago).  At some later point she would then have a catheter procedure to close the fenestration and her Fontan would again be "complete".

If she does need the fenestration it only adds a few more minutes to the operation, and she need not go back on the bypass machine.  She did get intubated for this surgery, but the anesthesiologist promised that his top post-op priority would be to let her go the recovery room without the breathing tube.  Her poor throat will be raw again for a day or two.

She did get another femoral arterial line to continuously monitor blood pressure.  She got another IV line in her wrist for drug delivery.  Her PICC line from yesterday stayed and played a role in the surgery, so that was at least convenient.  She got another chest drain tube, through the same hole that was just closed (trying at least to minimize scarring).  She did NOT get another femoral venous line, mainly because the PICC was in place.

Just waiting at this point for her to be transferred to recovery and then back to the PSHU.  We will keep our same room.  It may be a few hours before we will be able to take and post pics though.  In the meantime we are being stuffed with cookies and brownies from Aunt Gayle, who is sitting with us in the waiting room.