The Operation Scheduled

Dad has made it to this point on Sunday in relatively stable condition and the operation has been scheduled for Monday morning at 7:30 a.m.  The various teams of professionals have monitored him over the weekend and done everything they can to get him as strong as possible for the procedure which may last 8 hours with multiple teams working together.  Please continue to pray for God’s hand upon the surgical staff and His continued hand upon my dad.

Operation in Progress

Dad went in to the operating room at 7:13 a.m. I received the first update at 10:10 that things were going well and they are just getting ready to place the VAD. At this point they estimate another 2 hours of surgery and about 1 hour to get him closed up again. So far so good.

In Recovery

The heart surgeon came out to tell us the surgery went as well as possible.  They have closed him up and they will be monitoring him in the O.R. for the next 30 minutes and then transport him back to the ICU. They will allow him to wake up in a few hours, but will still be sedated. The breathing tube will come out in a day or two unless he gets to it first.  He did bleed more than normal given his fragile state, and still remains at risk for stroke, but all in all a very good day thus far.

First Night of Recovery

It took several hours to get dad stabilized after surgery which is quite common.  Especially in cases where the patient is this critical.  He required a few blood transfusions, but eventually got him stable and resting for the night.  I received a call from the team at the hospital this morning letting me know he remained stable through the night.  So far so good, but still a long way to go.