ECHO/Cath Update

The results of Ayden's ECHO are in.  There was no sign of any previously undetected problem.  In fact, his wall motion (i.e., how well his heart squeezes), which has always been "mildly depressed" at best, was "almost" normal, according to Dr. K.  This is music to my ears, as the depressed motion has been my main source of ongoing, irrational parent-type concern since the SVT issue was remedied. (The tricuspid valve is still leaking, so I guess that now becomes the focus of my irrational fears.)

This is all good news.  The flip side of that good news, however, is Ayden being scheduled for a cath.  Tomorrow.  He's set up to be the third case.  I consider the procedure to be a necessary evil.  I think it is good they are looking for possible structural explanations for his current plight.  Of course, when you go looking for a problem, it's possible you will find one.  So, I think it's the right thing to do, but I'm wary of what might come from it.  Additionally, the procedure requires intubation, which is an unequivocal downside to this course of action.  Typically, extubation after caths occurs quickly, while the patient is still down in the OR (this was one area where Ayden was typical - he came up from his pre-Glenn cath sans ventilator).  If that happens tomorrow, Ayden can come back to the floor, rather than staying at least one night in the PCCU (one of the perks of no longer being a Norwood).

Please keep him in your thoughts through tomorrow afternoon.  We will be asking God for the doctor to find no problems (or, secondarily, to find only problems that are benign and fixable) and for Ayden's intubation to not extend beyond the bounds of the procedure itself.


Also:  Ayden now has a PICC line, thanks to the willingness of the PICC team to make the attempt in his room on the floor, rather than dragging him down to the cath lab.