Surgery Update 8

7:20 pm - Emma is now in the Pediatric Intensive Care Unit (PICU) and is stable. We have spent the past few hours at her side. She is currently intubated and on a respirator, she has chest tubes in place for drainage, as well as numerous other tubes and wires. She will most likely come off the respirator tomorrow. She has one nurse dedicated to her around the clock, which gives us some peace of mind. Seeing her in this condition was difficult to take in. She will remain sedated at least until sometime tomorrow.

Just a few quick comments about the surgery:

• We heard from both the surgeon and anesthesiologist that Emma was smiling and in good spirits right up until they point they administered the anesthesia and she went to sleep.


• The VSD (the hole between the right and left ventricals) was about the size of a dime - pretty large, considering her whole heart is no bigger than a kiwi fruit.


• Although they had to cut into the pulmonary valve, the surgeon told us that that does not automatically mean that she will need the valve replacements every few years, as we had previously been told. He said that we'll just have to wait and see how she does, and that it's possible that she could make it into her 20s or 30s without requiring additional procedures or surgeries. That gives us something to hope for.

We continue to be impressed with the fighting spirit of our little Emma. She has overcome so much in such a short amount of time, and we have no doubt she will get through this. Even after coming out of open-heart surgery, she is beautiful, and is just sassy enough to stare down this latest challenge and declare victory. Thanks again to all of you who have expressed well-wishes, and have prayed for her safe keeping.

All our love,
Dave and Amy