15 Sep Morning Update
Keegan had a pretty stable night. His heart rate went up from the day shift, so they put him on a cooling pad and reduced the temp of the blood coming in from the ECMO. This reduced his body temp and his heart rate enough that they did not increase his sedation. They also detected an arrythmia in his heart rate. This is not uncommon in Tet repairs or in ECMO patients, but it is something they want to watch so that Keegan’s heart isn’t working too hard. His heart is sending out “charges” on it’s own; it’s just not picking up the “it’s time to work” response. That’s good and bad – good that his heart is making an attempt, but bad because it messes with the ECMO. Remember the point of being on bypass is to allow his heart and lungs to rest and recover. He will be having another CT scan this morning to monitor bleeding as a result of the ECMO. We’ll update with the neurological team’s report when we get it.We have been watching his lungs to see if they will recover. There still is an air leak from his lungs. It could be injury or stress from surgery or some other source. We’ll get an update on that today too.Saved the best for last … he opened his eyes for me last night!! He looked at me and squeezed my hand briefly. His little legs were pumping away. Great for me, not the ECMO’s best friend – it likes him sedated and quiet. I’ll try to get him to look at Daddy today.Thanks to the night shift – Tammye, Kevin, and Jeremy. They’re awesome and will be back with us tomorrow night. Big Daddy and I (Maddie) were here last night. Haven’t determined who will stay with Gray tomorrow. Thanks to everyone for your prayers – they are the number one need right now.