Surgery Day

What a long day. Elaina was taken in for surgery at 11:30. They opened her chest at 12:30. The nurse called me a few times through the beginning of the procedure. At 3:00 everything was going well, they were warming her up to get ready to take her off the lung/heart bypass machine. She told me she'd call in an hour. At 4:00, they were cooling her back down, because the doctor didn't like the way the vein was seated on the artery and wanted to re-attach it. At 5:00, the nurse came and sat down with me. Elaina's heart is beating well, the Glenn was a success, BUT her lungs are so weak from a month of being in the hospital, that she's having a very hard time getting her oxygen needs met. So, they are giving her nitrous oxide with an oscillator to attempt to open up her airways. Elaina got back to the ICU at 6:30, and the surgeon came and talked to us a few minutes later. SO, the news is not very good. The surgery was a success from the heart standpoint. Her lungs are a different story. The pressures are very high in her lungs and she is having a very difficult time with her saturations. The surgeon left her chest open for 2 reasons. They may have to go in and put in an additional shunt to get more blood flowing to her lungs. They also have the ECMO machine (this is a portable heart and lung machine that they can have in the ICU) on standby. She is going to have a VERY difficult night. It is really touch and go at this point. I do not know what is going to happen or what her prognosis right now.
Please keep praying for her. She is very weak and very sick.
Thank you so much.