Tomorrow...

Don't know what time exactly but the heart cath will happen tomorrow. They were so busy today they couldn't fit Tuck in. Dr Del nido stopped by to explain what it is they are looking for. He has looked at the heart cath from pre-admission and thinks there are several other vessels that could have been coiled then that were not. This could be the reason that Tucker cannot seem to get his lungs dry again. This will also be an opportunity for them to measure pressures in the lungs and the heart to ensure there are no other issues that could be or are causing issues. They want to do this before we extibate so that we have all the facts about Tuckers condition....all rocks overturned, all T's crossed. They dont want to extibate then find that we cannot stay off, or have a hard time and have to be re-intibated again.

The body is an amazing thing. These vessels I am talking about....these are blood vessels that have formed , due to the heart defect, that help the heart get blood where it needed to go. With the defect Tucker had it was fine, however with the fixed heart it causes extra blood to the lungs, causing them to be wet. These can be "coiled" off so that the blood is not taken away from where it needs to be. As Tucker's heart becomes more and more relaxed these vessels, as I understand, will stop growing because it will be getting adequate blood flow to all the correct places. (there are all kinds of medical terms that I am missing in that explanation but I dont remember any of them) If you have been following us for a while, I think I mentioned that they had coiled 14 or something like that of these vessels presurgery.

The cath will take about 4 hours and we should have results pretty quickly on what was done during the procedure and what needs to be done,if anything, to move Tuck forward!