Echo-cardiogram Update

Wednesday. April 29, 2015

So Junior got what they call a "blood draw holiday" today.  Kind of like a little birthday present for him: you get to keep almost all of your blood today!  They now have a few external sensors on him (like the red light finger sensor they put on adults for blood oxygen level) that allow them to closely approximate his blood gasses without having to draw them so often.  The blood gas draw is 0.3 mL, so in a day where they have to take a bunch of those they could end up taking several mLs of blood.  As long as his blood gasses stay fairly stable and they get a good read on the sensors, they can minimize the actual draws.

The trade-off, of course, is lower quality information.  They didn't get any new information on white and red blood cell counts today without those blood draws, so its harder to tell how effectively he is fighting infection.  They did finally get some growth in one of the cultures they took from the fluid in his lungs and found it is mycoplasma (We are going to start linking some of the more technical information for easy look-up).  They said this will cause his lung disease to get a little worse but they have already treated it with the antibiotics, so hopefully the effect is minimized.  The doctor is hoping that this is the extent of the infection his body has been fighting, so hopefully that means no meningitis, but we still won't know that for sure for a little while.

So the big news of the day was the echo-cardiogram (heart ultrasound).  Good news and bad news.  The good news is that the heart is properly formed and appears to be functioning normally.  The bad news is he has a Patent Ductus Arteriosus.  This is a hole in the heart that doesn't close on its own in some newborns and is more common in preemies and micro preemies.  The effect of this PDA is that the heart sends more blood than it should to the lungs, which are already struggling and have too much fluid. Also, the heart is working harder than it should to pump the blood to the rest of the body, which might be contributing to his low blood pressure issue.

The treatment for PDA is usually ibuprofen or another NSAID.  In Junior's case, the doctors are afraid that a NSAID will harm his already immature tummy and contribute to his bleeding issues (NSAIDs are blood thinners).  Acetaminophen has been trialed recently in several studies with pretty good results and without the above-mentioned side effects.  They have started him on that today and will monitor liver function for the next few days to make sure it doesn't decrease with the new drug (liver dysfunction is the main side effect of Tylenol, so make sure to follow the instructions on your home use).


We are so grateful for your prayers on our behalf.  We feel your strength every day.

Junior is thinking about something....