I apologize for not updating this blog for a few days, the truth is there has been very little happening, which has been a good thing. No news is good news when it comes to the NICU. Today Beckham had a major hurdle: a Patent Ductus Arteriosus (PDA).
The pic above shows what a PDA is. It is an opening that shunts blood from the aorta into the pulmonary arteries, so it makes less blood go throughout the body and more blood go into the lungs. It causes the lungs to get overloaded with fluid and affects the heart, lungs, kidneys, and other organs in the body. Beckham was found to have a PDA (as do most preemies) and he was treated with medications on his 2nd day of life. It was felt that it had closed from the meds, but last night and this morning they realized that it was either still open or that it had re-opened. His doctor decided that it needed to be closed surgically, so the Cardiothoracic Surgeon came to see Beckham this morning and he agreed. They scheduled him for urgent surgery and did the procedure in the NICU today.
The surgeon said afterward that everything went well, no complications. The doctors said that the next 24 hours will be crucial time to monitor him and make sure that he is still doing well. So far they have said that he looks good and is recovering well.
They had to intubate him again and put him on the ventilator for the surgery. They plan to leave him on it overnight to allow him to rest and recover and then attempt to wean him back off of the vent probably tomorrow, assuming everything goes well.
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