Christopher had his echocardiogram today, under sedation so they could get more accurate pictures. The sedation went fairly well and they were able to get some nice pictures. The results aren't what we were hoping for, though: there is indeed new narrowing at the site of his original surgery. The narrowing is obstructing blood flow AGAIN, causing a difference between the blood pressures in his two arms, and ultimately, it is going to need intervention. Christopher is pretty much going down in the history books now for the series of complications that he has had. Not the kind of records that we really want him to be setting!
The good news is that this particular kind of narrowing (i.e. one surrounded by scar tissue from the original surgery) is very amenable to intervention using cardiac catheterization. I found a great website from Sick Kids that shows the details of cardiac catheterization for re-coarctation. Check it out.
In Christopher's case, they will thread the catheter in through an artery in his groin. The major complication of concern is a clot that could form at the site in his groin and affect blood flow to his leg. For this reason, he will be kept in hospital for at least one night after the procedure, and possibly longer, to monitor the blood flow to his leg. If he does develop a clot, they will treat it using blood thinners.
A few people have asked us whether they could use a stent to hold the area open. The cardiologist told us today that while some centres are using stents, the issue with using them in babies is that eventually, the baby grows and the stent is too small, which causes major issues (i.e. how do you retrieve the 'outgrown' stent without doing harm?) So, no stent for Christopher!
The plan at the moment is for the procedure to happen within the next two weeks or so. Christopher's blood pressures are abnormal (but unchanged from last week) but his heart function is normal, which means his heart is coping fine with the extra work at the moment. That means we do have some time and this doesn't need to be done on an emergency basis. The cardiologist who does these procedures at CHEO is away and will be back next week, so we expect to hear early next week about when she'll be seeing us to discuss a timeline and plan.
I am exhausted and feeling a bit overwhelmed tonight. Poor Christopher is totally out of sorts from fasting, being put to sleep, waking up disoriented, then sleeping too long as the medication wore off. He's just not a happy camper this evening. And his Mommy is feeling a bit out of sorts as well. I feel like the poor little guy just can't seem to get a break. While I have a ton of faith in his doctors and am usually able to stay positive about how things are going, just tonight it's all feeling like a bit much. That said, I know we'll get through this, and I think the first step is for all of us to get a good night's sleep!
Just as I was typing this, I had a call from a volunteer at the Heart & Stroke Foundation. I mentioned that our son has congenital heart disease and has had some challenges recently. The volunteer told me his own story of cardiac disease, and then asked for our son's name and promised to pray for him. Moments like that remind me that we are not alone, and we will get through this next hurdle just as we have the ones before.
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