Surgery is done

So the surgery is done. We got to see her around 1:30pm.  Dr Rebeyka came out to talk to us.  The surgery went very well.  He was able to put in a fairly large conduit this time so this surgery should last longer (cross your fingers).  He put in a size 20mm conduit and he said for someone my size he'd probably only have to use a 22mm so this should last her awhile and she may only have to do this surgery once more! 

He was able to repair the valve so there is minimal leaking.  He said she is still too small for an adult sized valve, but if the valve starts to leak more down the road they will have to replace it.  If they can wait until she's big enough for an adult valve (around 5 years?) then it can last "forever" (as long as it doesn't clot or get infected).  They are also working on studies with the new valves they have to use only aspirin to prevent clotting instead of warfarin/coumamin (warfarin can have adverse side effects when taken for a long time).

She did not need a transfusion in the OR (just blood on the bypass machine).

They also widened her pulmonary artery farther from the heart where it branches off because it was slightly narrowed. All in all they are happy with how it turned out.

They have her on morphine for pain, midazolam (sedative and it is kind of a mild amnesiac so she probably won't remember the first day or two in the PICU), nipride (to control the blood pressure/pressures inside her heart), milrinone (helps to relax heart and dilate the blood vessels so her heart doesn't have to work so hard), and occasional bolusses of morphine or propol (i think that's the name) to keep her settled.

She has already tried at least twice to pull out the breathing tube or turned her head and fought against everything.  It's kind of scary -she's so strong.  But they seem to have her settled more now.  I thought I was ready for this after 3 times going through it, but she is so big now that she is fighting it and i worry she is going to get hurt. 

They hope to have her extubated by tomorrow, but we will see.  I will update more later.  Hopefully I didn't forget anything.