Robert is out of surgery and he came through it extremely well. It was a bit of deja vu, as just like his last surgery, we got an unexpected call from the OR saying that the surgeon was finishing up much earlier than we had anticipated. And just like last time, the reason for this was that the surgeon was able to repair Robert’s native valve without having to replace it.
One significant difference from last time, though, is that Dr. Salazar was able to achieve a better, more effective repair resulting in no leakage. Robert has (and has had) a bicuspid aortic valve, meaning that his valve has two leaflets that control the flow of blood into the body, whereas a normal, healthy aortic valve has three leaflets. Now that Robert’s tissue is roughly twice as large as it was at the time of his last surgery, Dr. Salazar had larger, stronger tissue to work with, which enabled him to use materials and techniques that were unavailable last time, and so he was able to get Robert’s two good leaflets to make better contact and prevent leakage. The downside is that he does have a mild stenosis, but that is far preferable to even a mild regurgitation (leak).
To put this in perspective, Robert has had at least some regurgitation since the balloon valvuloplasty he had when he was five days old. So today is only the sixth leak-free day of Robert’s life.
God willing, the repair will hold and the leak will not reoccur. Dr. Salazar indicated that a reasonable expectation based on the outcome of the surgery is that Robert should be able to go 10 to 20 years before needing another surgery. Obviously, we could not be more pleased with this result, which is–yet again–far beyond what we dared hope for going in.
Robert still has 4-5 days of inpatient recovery at the hospital, and right now, he is still in the process of coming out of anesthesia. They are bringing him out of it gradually and using morphine and acetaminophen to manage pain. We got to go back and see him as they were pushing some morphine, and Robert, still considerably sedated, was trying to talk to us and open his eyes. It was hard to see him in obvious pain and trying to call out for us, but on the other hand, it was inspiring to see his strength and resolve resisting the anesthesia.
As for the next steps, we are expecting that as the sedation wears off, Robert will start becoming more conscious and aware, and will be able to have his breathing tube removed (ideally) within the next several hours. Though it’s possible we could get a 3 a.m. call like last time saying he’s ready to have his tube removed, we’re hoping to reach that point sooner this time. If so, and if he progresses as expected, the PCICU staff is saying that Robert should be moved out of the PCICU and into his own room some time tomorrow, late morning or mid-day. If his recovery takes a track similar to last time, we would be looking at discharge on Saturday or Sunday.
We are so proud of our big, strong heart patient, and we are so grateful for all the friends and family that have been surrounding and supporting us. Please keep praying for our sweet son.
