A little bit of this, a little bit of that....

Monday 10/13/2014:

Once we were allowed back in Titus's room, the doctors and nurses went over every line and medicine that he was hooked to....

1. Milrinone: A vasodilator that assists with the contracting of the heart and prevents overworking the heart muscle by creating less resistance in the arteries.

2. Epinephrine: Assists with the squeeze of the heart muscle while he is recovering.

3. Foley Catheter: Allows his team to monitor his urine output as he will have excess fluid to lose in the next couple days. His output will actually determine when they pull him off the breathing tube as they do not want excess fluid and swelling to close his trachea when the tube is removed.

4. Fentanyl: Sedative pain medicine so that he does not feel anything and cannot move.

5. PICC line: the central access for all meds, antibiotics, TPN to be delivered.

6. Heparin: Blood thinner that prevents clotting around the artificial tube they inserted in his heart. This will be weaned off before we go home and will be replaced with a daily aspirin.

7. UAC Line: This is his umbilical line that monitors his blood pressure. It has been in for 8 days now so they will likely remove it tomorrow.

8. Ancef: An antibiotic to prevent infection.

9. Pepsid: To protect his gut while he is not getting feeds.

10. Two chest tubes: For draining excess fluid around the heart. The goal is to have these removed within a couple days.

11. Breathing tube: Self explanatory. This is how he is breathing for the first 24-48 hours.

12. NG Tube: He is not going to get feeds for at least 48 hours post surgery so this is placed for the time being to allow any extra air to escape his gut. Eventually, he may get feeds through the tube, but it depends on when they remove the breathing tube. The goal is to get him to breast 6 hours after the tube is out but some babies have trouble with feeding after the breathing tube is removed since it can irritate the throat and cause swelling. We have high hopes for him getting back on breast and never looking back.

13. RA line: A line that goes directly to his heart to monitor the pressure in his right atrium.

14. Heart monitor leads: Monitors the heart rate.

The goal over the next 24 hours is to keep him comfy and sedated to allow recovery. He will be closely monitored and then reassessed several times a day to determine what adjustments can be made and what can be removed....every line that comes off is one step closer to home!!!