Matthew's surgery was a complete success. It went very smoothly, and there are already signs of improvement. The whole procedure took about an hour from prep to cleanup, but the actual surgery only took about 15 minutes. They made an incision under his left arm about 1 cm long. They spread his ribs (which are quite flexible in a baby this young) and went around behind his left lung. They put a small metal clip around his PDA to pinch it closed. Fortunately, there were no surprises. In fact, the doctors didn't see one drop of blood during the procedure (internally I assume).
After the surgery, the doctors noticed an immediate improvement with his pCO2 (partial pressure of carbon dioxide). It had been in the 40s to 50s most of the time (with occasional excursions above 100), but after the surgery they had a hard time getting it above the 30s (basically his body was doing too good of a job getting rid of CO2). They don't want his O2 or CO2 levels too high or too low since either can cause problems. They came down on his ventilator pressures and breathing rates to help with this.
Although things look great now, it will be a few days before we know if there are any complications. There are no common complications, but there are a number of things that can occur in a small percentage of cases.
We got a chance to measure him tonight. He's grown a bit since birth. He's now 13 2/3" long.
Hi!
Praise God! I am so glad everything went so well. We'll be continuing to pray for Matthew and family for rest and a quick recovery! Take care, HUGS, Caroline
Praise the Lord. I pray that the parents are doing as well!
GrandPa Curtis
Allelujah! We are rejoicing in KY with this bit of good news. We continue praying for Matthew, his parents and his Grandma!
Much love,
Beth
God is so GOOD!!! We are thrilled that all went so well in surgery, and continue to pray for healing and recovery! Matthew's picture has joined those of 2 others in need of continual prayer on my dash - don't panic...the kids and I only pray with our eyes open and mostly at stop lights while in the car!!! Also, I have been posting updates for prayer and progress on the "Cloud of Witnesses" prayer loop so I know there are many praying here in OK! We love you guys! May God continue to cover you all in this and every situation.
Love,
Tammy
PRAISE GOD; HE IS SOOOO FAITHFUL! We are so happy that everything went well in surgery for Matthew. He looks good in the picture; color seems improved. Seth and I will continue to pray for no complications or infections.
We are also continuing to pray that God give you strength and peace each and every day.
We love you so much! Seth, Dawn, and cousin Andrew
J, J & M:
Get ready for a squeeze 'cause here comes a virtual hug! So glad that little Matthew Clay came through the surgery with flying colors! We're praying for continued strength for you all and encouragement for Mom, Dad, and Grandma!
Love, Mindy